EatMyPixelDust comments on Microplastics Are Chemically Active, and Could Cause Biological Harm

[–] EatMyPixelDust@lemmy.blahaj.zone 35 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Microplastics are going to be the next cigarettes, asbestos, radium, AND arsenic-drenched wallpaper. We're so fucked.

[–] sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

In terms of thematic similarity, sure.

But in terms of magnitude of the impact, microplastics aren't nearly as dangerous as lead, asbestos, or cigarettes. Those lead to huge quality of life downgrades, and take decades off of a life.

A society that replaces cigarettes with ubiquitous microplastics exposure will still improve the population's health outcomes, by a lot.

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[–] EatMyPixelDust@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 point 15 hours ago

That may be true for now, but what happens long term? Articles I've read say that microplastics in the body only accumulate, and don't really decrease. Maybe that's just because we're exposed to more everyday. But even then, reducing exposure will only get harder as more particles increase in the environment, from all the plastic breaking down. There must be some point at which effects start to show. What is the lethal dose? Or what is the dose that starts significantly increasing cancers? Or birth defects? Or something we haven't even considered?