MICROPLASTICS: A HIDDEN DANGER

You might not know it, but the plastics that we use daily, whether it is a grocery bag, sandwich bag, plastic tupperware or plastic water bottles, break down into tiny pieces of plastic. These microscopic pieces are posoining our bodies of water, the animals that live in them, and our own human bodies. Plastics haven’t always caused a problem for ocean environments. In fact, only recently have these problems to become apparent. We have recently learned that the plastics we have introduced into our environment over the last approximately 60 years are now reaching alarming levels.  According to research studies, "Enough damage has been done to permanently affect the Earth as a whole": According to research led by Western University in London, Ontario, there are now enough microplastic particles at the bottom of the lakes that they are becoming a permanent part of the sedimentary layer”(Oosthoek 1). After introducing us to the problem, Oosthoek goes on to explain more about what Microplastics are, reaching the conclusion of the article regarding the damage that they are causing.  So what can we do? The conclusion of the article is the fact that we now have the technology to act on this problem but we don’t have enough support. The reason for this is the number of people aware of this problem. This is where we can all act and that is why we started this campaign.

When people hear the word “plastic” they think of water bottles and plastic bags and over-filled landfills.  They should also think of the problematic particle that is hidden underneath: when these plastics break down to microplastics and enter our environment, our oceans, our waters, and even food chain. If more people were just aware of this problem it could be solved so much easier.We are launching this campaign to help inform people of these hidden dangers. There are many things we can do to help reduce these dangerous microplastics and we will all learn together how to tackle this problem.  Please join us!