Human-made plastic materials have become so essential that it can be hard to grasp that they barely existed a century ago. At my desk, I'm typing on a plastic keyboard, scrolling a plastic mouse, and picking up a plastic pen. Day after day, more plastic enters my life, whether it's a shampoo bottle or new running shoes.
The invention of synthetic（合成的）plastics in the early 1900s was a success of innovation，with chemists realizing they could orchestrate molecular structures（编排分子结构）to create materials that are lighter, stronger, brighter, cheaper, more flexible and more durable. During World War II, nylon and other plastics became essential to the war effort. When the war ended, the initial plastics industry focused on making products for everyday life.
But the overuse of plastic has become a curse, with abandoned objects blocking waterways and landfills. And when plastic does finally fall apart, tiny particles go into the environment. We've known for years that microplastics have spread into the oceans. In this issue, we report on research confirming that microplastics are also storing up in our bodies. Plastic particles have been found in human blood, in body tissues and in breast milk.
Talk about environmental pollution hitting close to home. As independent journalist Anne Pinto-Rodrigues reports, microplastics probably enter the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Though consuming microplastics along with lunch is frightening enough, the idea that we might be taking in invisible bits with each breath feels much more disturbing.
Researchers have only recently begun quantifying the abundance of microplastics in the air, so it's not yet clear where people face the most exposure. Also unclear is what impact, if any, microplastics have on human health. Science is full of examples of unintended consequences.
Microplastics are an unintended consequence that we can't put back into the Tupperware. Merely switching from plastic to paper bags won't fix this problem. Science now needs to determine the extent of the threat microplastics might pose and invent new ways to protect against any harms.
