Microplastics in the environment

In short: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles under five millimeters, found in soils, bodies of water, and even in the air we breathe. They arise from the breakdown of larger plastic pieces or are deliberately used in products.

In more detail: Primary microplastics, which are manufactured small from the start, are distinguished from secondary microplastics, which form through weathering, abrasion, and UV radiation breaking down larger plastics.

In detail

• Everyday sources: Car tire abrasion, synthetic textile fibers released during washing, and disintegrating plastic packaging are major sources.
• Pathways of spread: Via wastewater, rivers, and wind, microplastics reach even remote areas such as the deep sea and the Arctic.
• Entry into the food chain: Small organisms ingest microplastics, allowing it to accumulate up the food chain (nahrungskette-und-oekosystem).
• Breakdown times: Plastics mechanically break into ever smaller pieces, but chemically degrade only extremely slowly.
• Health questions: Long-term effects of ingesting microplastics via food and air are being intensively researched but are not yet fully understood.
• Avoidance: Wash bags for synthetic clothing and avoiding unnecessary single-use plastic products reduce the amount entering the environment.
• Regulatory measures: The EU has already banned certain single-use plastic items to reduce the microplastics burden (recycling-von-kunststoff).