Sa buong mundo, 400 toneladang plastic ang ginagawa ng mga kompanya taon taon. Sa Pilipinas, mahigit 200 milyong piraso ng shampoo sachet ang napo-produce kada taon.
Tinatayang mula sa 20 hanggang 500 taon bago pa ito matunaw. Sa paglipas ng panahon, ang mga plastic, unti –unting nadudurog at minsan, nagiging pagkain pa ng mga lamang dagat, na kalauna'y kinakain ng mga tao.
Ano ang epekto ng microplastics sa kalusugan? Here's what you #NeedToKnow
Tinatayang mula sa 20 hanggang 500 taon bago pa ito matunaw. Sa paglipas ng panahon, ang mga plastic, unti –unting nadudurog at minsan, nagiging pagkain pa ng mga lamang dagat, na kalauna'y kinakain ng mga tao.
Ano ang epekto ng microplastics sa kalusugan? Here's what you #NeedToKnow
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NewsTranscript
00:00 In the world, more than 430 million tons of plastic are produced by companies every year.
00:09 In the Philippines alone, almost 200 million pieces of shampoo sachets are produced every year.
00:16 It takes from 20 to 500 years for it to dissolve.
00:21 But as time goes by, the plastics are gradually being crushed.
00:28 And sometimes, it becomes food for sea creatures, which are then eaten by humans.
00:34 What is the effect of microplastics on health?
00:38 Here's what you need to know.
00:40 There are two types of plastic.
00:45 First, what is called macroplastic.
00:48 These are the big plastics that humans can see, like plastic bags.
00:53 Meanwhile, the other one is called microplastic.
00:58 In its small size, it is almost invisible to our eyes.
01:02 Dr. Deo Onda, a microbial oceanographer at the University of the Philippines, said
01:08 that microplastics should not be small because it has a great effect on our environment.
01:14 Microplastics can have two types of rain.
01:18 The primary microplastic means that from the time it is made, it is already small.
01:24 What are these?
01:25 If we like to do facial wash, many of the facial washes that we use in our beauty skincare products
01:31 actually have microplastics.
01:33 That is the primary one because when they are made, they are already small.
01:37 But there are also secondary microplastics.
01:39 Macroplastics, for a long time, can split.
01:45 It can be fragile or it can be rotten.
01:48 And as it gets smaller, it produces microplastics.
01:52 The size of the plastic also has an effect on us, humans and animals in the environment.
02:00 But there are also many factors that can contribute to the splitting of microplastics.
02:05 For example, when they are exposed to the sun or when there is an UV effect, ultraviolet.
02:10 Ultraviolet can help in the splitting of a plastic that produces microplastics.
02:16 For example, our clothes.
02:19 It has microplastics such as polyester, nylon, polyamide, and acrylic.
02:25 For example, our clothes.
02:27 Many of these are polyester.
02:29 Many of these are also made of plastic.
02:31 So when we wash, there are a lot of shedding or the part of our clothes that is being washed
02:36 also comes out of the washing machine and our washing machine is directly to the canal.
02:41 That canal is directed to the river and ultimately, it is also directed to the sea.
02:46 So we can also produce and contribute to microplastics.
02:51 More than 2 million tons of microfibers go to the sea every year.
02:57 Even the smallest fish can eat it.
03:04 In a study published in 2017, it was found that there are microplastics in our sea and salt.
03:11 For example, in many parts of the Philippines, a lot of salt production is also in the sea.
03:19 They get the sea water, let it dry, and from where they get the salt.
03:24 So just think about it, if the microplastics we are making are floating in the sea
03:29 and that water is the same water that we are making salt,
03:32 there is a high potential and possibility that those salts also produce microplastics.
03:38 Let's also look at the effect on the environment.
03:40 If there are many studies that say that the health of the fish we eat can be affected
03:46 or some of the organisms we eat, such as the sea bass and the sea bass, may not be eggs anymore.
03:52 In a study conducted by experts from France, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia,
03:58 they collected 17 salt samples from 8 countries in 2017.
04:03 16 out of 17 tested positive for microplastics.
04:08 The Department of Health or DOH said that there is a possibility that our salts will produce microplastics
04:15 because they are made from salt water from the sea.
04:19 Because of this, microplastics cannot enter the human body.
04:26 Aside from food, it is also possible that we will be able to digest it.
04:30 In a study conducted by Mindanao State University-Iligan, in 17 cities in Metro Manila,
04:36 Mandaluyong and Muntinlupa have the highest number of microplastics in the air.
04:42 Most of them come from clothes, pet bottles, and plastic bags.
04:47 Many studies are also saying that microplastics are also high in air.
04:52 Because it is so small, let's say it is as small as the tip of our hair or the tip of a needle,
04:57 it is easy to breathe, it is easy to digest, and it can easily enter our system.
05:02 It can enter our lungs or it can enter the interior of our body.
05:07 Experts are concerned about the possible effects of microplastics on the human body,
05:13 especially when it is made from chemicals.
05:15 It is also possible for it to be a carrier of bacteria, viruses, and cancerous compounds such as heavy metals.
05:22 According to the United Nations Environment Programme, there are 13,000 chemicals in the production of plastics.
05:29 3,200 of them are hazardous or dangerous to human health.
05:35 In another study conducted by the Environment International Journal in 2022,
05:41 17 of 22 participants found plastic particles in their blood.
05:46 Once the microplastic gets into our body, for example, our nasal passages, our respiratory tract, lungs,
05:56 and then all our gastrointestinal tract, they are physically damaged.
06:02 Once these chemicals are absorbed, then they have other kind of, not the physical damage,
06:08 but now they have chemical damages.
06:11 And those are the toxicity which we're describing that it has 13,000 chemicals,
06:17 but not all of the chemicals are of concern.
06:20 The extensive scientific data have shown that out of 7,000 of these chemicals associated with plastics,
06:30 show that more than 3,000 have one or more hazardous outcome.
06:36 If a chemical causes neurological effects, then once it passes certain part of the brain,
06:44 these chemicals mimics like endocrine or our hormones, then when it goes and interrupt those hormonal system,
06:55 then we start to see developmental effect, we start to see change in fertility, lowering the fertility in females.
07:03 To date, studies are still ongoing on the effects of microplastics on health.
07:10 But don't be too optimistic.
07:13 The possibility of eating it everyday is high.
07:17 Just think of all the food we eat in take-out is made of microplastics.
07:21 And while we're using those, there's what we call shedding.
07:25 It means that the microplastics are being crushed and mixed with our food.
07:29 And as a country that is dependent on the richness of the sea, our sea becomes the ultimate sink.
07:35 It means that all that we let go from the ground will pass through the river and all of that will fall into the sea.
07:42 We are all vulnerable or exposed to food or to the risks associated with microplastics.
07:50 Plastics will not disappear from the world.
07:54 But it can reduce its effects on the environment and health.
08:00 The solution is really turn of the top.
08:02 It means that we just need to reduce the use of plastic little by little
08:08 so that the production of microplastics can be reduced and the risks associated with them can be reduced as well.
08:17 [Music]