Microplastics and human health
The ubiquity of microplastics in the global biosphere raises increasing concerns about their implications for human health, but whether these contaminants pose a substantial risk to human health is far from understood.
Abstract
Knowledge gaps should be addressed to ascertain the health risks of microplastics The ubiquity of microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm, including nanosized plastics <1 µm) in the global biosphere raises increasing concerns about their implications for human health (1–3). Recent evidence indicates that humans constantly inhale and ingest microplastics; however, whether these contaminants pose a substantial risk to human health is far from understood. The lack of crucial data on exposure and hazard represents key knowledge gaps t hat need to be addressed to move forward.