Microplastics, environment and child health
Abstract
The substantial increase in scientific studies [1] in recent years has clarified and evidenced that the use of plastic material, widely employed in daily life due to the advantages it offers with respect to other materials, can cause environmental damage. In particular, several studies have focused on microplastics (MPs), defined on the basis of a size smaller than 5 mm. MPs are subdivided into two groups [2]: primary MPs, used both industrially as plastic pellets and in personal care products (i.e. toothpastes, nail polishes, sun creams, scrubs, bath gels) [3] and secondary MPs, derived from the plastic waste dispersed into the environment which undergoes progressive degradation because of photo and thermooxidative processes and mechanical abrasion [4]. These latter derive mainly from industrial packaging and textile fibers released into the washing water from machinewashed clothing [2]. Overall, it is estimated that between 75,000 and 300,000 t of microplastics are released into the environment each year in the EU alone [5]. It must also be borne in mind that MPs can release complex mixtures of chemicals into the environment as many types of additives are used in the industrial production of plastics to provide specific features (for example flame retardants, UV stabilizers, heat stabilizers, and plasticizers) [6]. Moreover, due to their hydrophobic surface, MPs can adsorb and concentrate to a high degree hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) such as polycyclic aromatic…
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