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Here's how much plastic people end up eating everyday

Oct 21, 2019, 18:00 IST


  • We are drinking, eating, and breathing tiny plastics every day.
  • Tiny plastic particles known as microplastics are everywhere – including in our drinking-water.
  • According to WWF, an average person eats 100,000 microplastics in a year.
You’re literally eating 5 gram of plastic in a week — that’s equivalent to the size of a credit card, says WWF. Nobody can avoid plastic, it is present in almost all the products we use everyday from toys, electronics, shampoo, cosmetics and countless, even in the food we eat and water we drink.
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According to WWF, an average person eats 100,000 microplastics in a year.

‘We are drinking, eating, and breathing tiny plastics every day’

UN scientists say marine settings, freshwater, food, water and air consists microplastics.

Yet, we are unaware of it affects us, as there is little information available on the effect of microplastics. As of now, experts believe that microplastic in drinking water poses 'low risk' to humans. They can pass through the body without getting absorbed.

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"Tiny plastic particles known as microplastics are everywhere – including in our drinking-water but they are not necessarily a risk to human health," said UN experts said on July 22.

UN has urged further investigation into the matter.

Humans produced as much as 400 million tons of plastic in 2015. And, the amounts are only rising annually. Experts estimate that plastic production will double by 2025, reported Wired.

Globally, people dump 8 million tons of plastic into the oceans and researchers aren't able to trace the 99% of it. As the researchers dig deeper into the matter of microplastics, we continue to eat, drink and breathe it.

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