As many of you know, in September we moved to Florianópolis to live closer to the sea and nature. Life on the beach is truly unparalleled... the proximity to nature and the morning walks on the beach bring greater lightness to life and greater motivation to carry out our projects... but it also puts us, in a more compelling way, face to face with problems that we already knew about and talked about, but which are now becoming routine.
I'm talking about plastic pollution! Yes, our daily walk on the beach shows us that the amount of plastic polluting the sea is infinite! I'm one of those people who picks up garbage on the beach... many people think I'm crazy, because I won't be able to cope with all the trash, but it's practically uncontrollable - I see a piece of plastic and I pick it up, because I know that that plastic, at the very least, will end up in some animal's stomach and that bothers me deeply.
A quick search on PubMed for "plastic pollution" brings up more than 2,200 scientific articles on the subject, showing the impacts of plastic pollution not only on the environment, but also on the health of animals and people.
We know that plastics are widely used in our society, with an estimated 320 million tons manufactured annually worldwide[2]. It's no wonder that plastic pollution and its impact on environmental sustainability has been the focus of several scientific studies. Plastics that contaminate the environment, including microplastics and nanoplastics, contain endocrine disruptors that travel into the environment, including soil, water and the atmosphere, having a major impact on the health of animals and plants due to the release of toxins. Measuring less than 5 mm in diameter, they infiltrate the food chain, becoming part of the human and animal diet. Yes, we are eating plastic!
And the ingestion of microplastics has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine diseases [6], cancer, as well as a possible role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria. In addition, when inhaled, microplastics also have an impact on respiratory and cardiovascular health. Dermal contact, although less explored, raises the prospect of skin irritation and allergic reactions [2; 4].
Several studies show that it is possible to detect plastic microparticles in human urine and blood samples, as cell membranes and the circulatory system can be traversed by small particles with sizes of less than 10 μm. Microplastics have also been found in human and pet feces samples. In addition, microplastics have been found in human placenta, breast milk and sputum [4; 7].
An article published in August 2023 by Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish and English researchers showed that patients undergoing hemodialysis have a high risk of contamination by microplastics. This study estimated that, for a 99% filtration efficiency for microplastics, the amount that can penetrate the patients' kidneys is 0.0021-3768 particles/week[3]. Quite scaring, isn't it?
We can't forget the countless cases of animals, such as turtles and seabirds, that ingest pieces of plastic and end up with obstructions in their digestive system or die of starvation because their stomachs are full of plastic and they can't eat. There are scientific studies [5] demonstrating this problem, which also affects endangered species such as albatrosses and petrels.
In other words, the situation is alarming... but how does it relate to our pets? As you can imagine, they are affected in the same way as humans, that is, our pets are ingesting and inhaling these micro and nanoparticles which could result in a number of serious health disorders, reducing longevity and impacting on quality of life!
Not to mention wild animals, whether birds or terrestrial animals, and the whole variety of marine species. Who hasn't seen an image of a biologist removing plastic from the stomach of a seabird or turtle? Or a dolphin with a plastic bucket stuck on its head? Sad, isn't it! Plastic fragments cause major problems for marine systems and are estimated to interact with more than 700 species. As well as posing a threat through ingestion, they also cause problems through entanglement, degradation of key aquatic and terrestrial habitats and other deleterious effects on the ecosystem [1].
It's up to each and every one of us to change this situation - of course, I alone won't be able to remove all the plastic from the beach, but if everyone does their bit, by reducing plastic consumption, replacing ecofriendly plastic cups and bottles, taking the Ecobag to the market, preferring products with less packaging, not releasing balloons at parties or celebrations, using microplastic-free cosmetics, among other actions, we'll be contributing to the health of the planet and our pets! We must remember that the market is regulated by consumers - as consumers demand a more responsible production process, companies will have to adapt or they will end up losing market share!
And why is a veterinarian writing this? Because every veterinarian has a responsibility for human and environmental health, in addition to the specific animal care. In addition, we have a duty to educate the population - remembering that knowledge must be shared, otherwise there's no use at all! If we don't show people how they and their animals are impacted by problems such as plastic pollution, we'll never be able to change this!
From my point of view, this is being holistic - it's worrying about the whole, about the health of the entire planet, all the animals, plants and all its inhabitants, without exception. Everything is interconnected and we need to expand our knowledge in order to make a difference and build a better world.
"Life does not require of us unattainable sacrifices; it asks us to make our way with joy in our hearts and to be a blessing to those around us, so that if we leave the world just a little better than it was before our visit, we will have left our mission." (Dr. Edward Bach)
References:
Duncan, E.M. et al. Plastic Pollution and Small Juvenile Marine Turtles: a Potential Evolutionary Trap. Frontiers in Marine Science, Art. 699521, Vol. 8, Aug. 2021.
Emenicke, E.C. et al. From oceans to dinner plates: The impact of microplastics on human health. Heliyon 9 (2023) e20440.
Passos, et al. Microplastics and nanoplastics in haemodialysis waters: Emerging threats to be in our radar. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 102 (2023) 104253.
Pirontti, C. et al. First Evidence of Microplastics in Human Urine, a Preliminary Study of Intake in the Human Body. Toxics 2023, 11, 40.
Roman, L. et al. A quantitative analysis linking seabird mortality and marine debris Ingestion. Scientific Reports, (2019) 9:3202.
Ullah, S. et al. A review of the endocrine disrupting effects of micro and nano plastic and their associated chemicals in mammals. Frontiers in Endocrinology, Vol. 22, Jan. 2023.
Zuri, G. et al. Human biomonitoring of microplastics and health implications: A review. Environmental Research 237 (2023) 116966.
Комментарии