The main sources of microplastics: plastic dishes, synthetic clothing, washing powders, cosmetics and household chemicals with polymers (Acrylates/C10-30, Acrylates Crosspolymer (ACS), Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Ethylen-Vinylacetat-Copolymere, Nylon-6, Nylon- 12, Polyacrylate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyquaternium, Polyquaternium-7, Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyothylenteraphthalat (PET), Polyurethan (PUR), Polyurethan-2, Polyurethan-14, Polyurethan-35, etc.)
All bodies of water on Earth are currently suffering from this “disease”. Microplastics have also infected the bodies of humans and animals. The “Without Rivers is Like Without Hands” Foundation analyzed microplastic pollution in the Volga as an example and came to interesting conclusions. It turns out that one third of microplastic is the remains of synthetic clothing, the next third is film, and the third third is shapeless fragments from plastic bags and dishes.
There are no filters installed in Volgograd to remove microplastics from wastewater. But such filters are already appearing in Russian cities, for example in Cheboksary.
The European Union was the first to begin the fight against microplastics, where there is a ban on the use of disposable tableware and plastic bags. Plastic is prohibited from being added to cosmetic products.
Why are microplastics dangerous for living organisms? It damages the soft tissues of the body, accumulates in tissues, poisons the body with toxic impurities, and “breaks” the immune system. According to the latest data, microplastics are a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogens.
Microplastics are also carried by air masses; particles fall to the ground along with precipitation, snow and rain, as Tomsk biologists found out in 2020.
It is not yet possible to collect microplastics that have found their way into natural bodies of water. The main way to prevent it from entering nature and the body is to prevent and control the circulation of plastic and synthetic polymers.