Nanoplastics are tiny particles of plastic, smaller than one-thousandth of a millimetre. They are even smaller than the microplastics from which they originate. Slow degradation of plastic items and microplastics in our environment, such as landfills, in the sea and rivers as well as litter that has been dumped on the ground, result in nanoplastics. In some cases, they are even manufactured on purpose, though this is a smaller part of the problem than degraded plastic from larger items. They are increasingly being recognised as toxic contaminants affecting various ecosystems and the food chain, raising significant environmental and health risks.  

You wouldn’t, and that’s part of the problem. Nanoplastics are so small they're invisible to the naked eye, yet they’re present in our environment, including in the ocean, soil, plants, animals, and even within our bodies. You would need a specialised scientific instrument to see them but if you could, you’d see them in the surface water and deep sediments of the sea, in agricultural and urban soil, and even suspended in the atmosphere contributing to air pollution. They are also present in seafood, drinking water and other food sources. New research has shown the extent to which they’re entering the human body. 

More research is needed, but current data suggests three ways in which they’re entering the human body. The first one is ingestion: when we consume food and drinks that are contaminated, they enter our body. The second is inhalation: that is when we breathe in miniscule particles that are suspended in the air. The third is skin absorption: particles may penetrate the skin especially if there are cuts or abrasions, or if the particles are small enough to pass through the skin barrier. More research is needed, but these findings are worrying. 

Nanoplastics have been detected in the hearts, brains and lungs and other major organs of human beings. They have also been detected in human blood, semen and other bodily fluids, as well as breast milk, the placenta and the tissue of penises. 

Much research is still needed to determine the impact of nanoplastics on the human body once they’re inside us. However, animal studies suggest some worrying repercussions. For example, the researchers found that plastic nanoparticles can stick to a certain type of stem cell in chicken embryos. This can cause birth defects and cell death. In humans, nanoplastics have already been detected in the arteries of arterial disease patients, suggesting they pose a risk for cardiovascular disease. More research will reveal how the presence of nanoplastics in the human body is affecting us, but the researchers fear they may behave like asbestos fibres once in our bodies. This means they don’t break down and are absorbed into cells which they then kill. A release mechanism then means more cells are damaged in the process.

Researchers will study the potential risks and effects of nanoplastics on human health and the environment, but the world cannot wait for this to happen. Nanoplastics are bad for nature and bad for you, and the introduction of even more nanoplastics into our environment should be halted as soon as possible. As individuals, we can also be part of the solution by saying no to single-use plastics! While a global treaty is being negotiated to stamp out various plastics that are causing havoc in the environment across the globe, we as individuals, can also be part of the solution by saying no to single-use plastics and calling for our leaders to commit to an ambitious and legally binding treaty that will stop plastic pollution!