This figure is almost unbelievable and is actually quite worrying. According to research carried out on the ingestion of plastic in humans, the average person swallows up to 5 grams of plastic a week. That’s the equivalent of a bank card! That equates to 250 grams annually, that's roughly the same weight as an orange.
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Several studies have already shown that humans consume and breathe in plastic particles in their day to day lives. But WWF and Newcastle University wanted to find out exactly how much is absorbed. To do this, they looked at and gathered information from around fifty studies.
Plastic all over the world
But where do all these particles come from? According to the results of a study led by Sciences et Avenir (Science and the Future), the main source seems to be frombottles of water. Seafood and saltalso have a very high percentage.
It seems pollution is also to blame for these results. Plastic is also inhaled in microparticles, considerably increasing the amount that is ingested. The WWF stated in a press release:
This report must serve as a wake-up call to the UK government. We don’t want plastic in our oceans, and we don’t want it on our plates.
This research is now looking into the consequences of having this amount of plastic in the human body. A study made by King's College hypothesised that the effect could become toxic over time. Especially since these particles are being found in all four corners of the world, including the most remote places. It’s impossible to avoid.
