health

Bits of plastic dust have been floating around our environment for as long as humans have been using plastic, but scientists have only recently started investigating how these particles may affect our health. Microplastics are by definition smaller than a pencil eraser, so humans and animals may inhale or ingest them without knowing.

Past studies have identified microplastics in human stool and autopsy samples, but this is the first time scientists have discovered plastic particles lodged in the lungs of living patients.

Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested.

The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to finalize the draft Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2020 within three months.

The green panel also directed the concerned authorities to consider the issue of the use of plastic bottles and multi-layered plastic packages for packaging of carbonated soft drinks, liquor and other items.