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PM Issues Warning after Microplastic Found in Thailand’s Fish

“Despite claims that humans are capable of excreting microplastic consumed, we shouldn’t forget that certain types of microplastic are so small they are measured in nano-metres. They can penetrate into human cells,” said Dr Krisda.

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BANGKOK – Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday warned the public against carelessly polluting the environment with plastic waste. His warning comes after a study found mackerel caught in the Andaman Sea were heavily contaminated with microplastics.

“Don’t forget that a single plastic bag takes up to 450 years to decompose. So where does the plastic waste left in the environment go? It ends up in our stomachs, just as it did for the mackerel,” Gen Prayut told the media yesterday.

He was commenting after an ocean study by Trang’s Marine National Park Operation Centre made headlines early this week.

bp mackerel 120919 42

Marine scientists found that stomachs of mackerel contained microplastic on average 78 plastic fragments of 1-5 millimeters in diameter.

“Plastic has its own benefits and negatives, so we need to find a way to use it appropriately,” said Gen Prayut.

Thailand approved a policy to ban the use of single-use plastic bags and items such as straws and Styrofoam, by 2021.  The premier proposed that schools also ban plastic bags from their premises.

Krisda Sirampuj, director of the International Anti-Ageing Medicine Institute, told media that microplastic contamination is now ubiquitous.

Recent research shows that contamination by microplastics  whose everyday sources include; cigarette butts; artificial textiles; car tyres and the plastic pellet-making industry. Microplasticis widespread in the soil, rivers, on high mountains and even in Arctic ice.  “Its atomic size enables it to enter our bodies as we breathe in the [polluted] air, eat food and drink water contaminated with microplastics.”

Microplastic Comes in Various Sizes

Microplastic particles

Microplastic particles come in various sizes, some invisible to the naked eye. Some are smaller than the now-infamous air pollution particles known as PM2.5. With a diameter measuring 1/20 of a human hair.

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) this year discovered more than 400 types of bacteria on 275 pieces of microplastic collected from beaches, Dr Krisda said.

“These bacteria cause several illnesses in human, including gastroenteritis and septicemia, as well as bleaching coral,” he said.

“Despite claims that humans are capable of excreting microplastic consumed, we shouldn’t forget that certain types of microplastic are so small they are measured in nano-metres. They can penetrate into human cells,” said Dr Krisda.

Source: Post Today

 

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