Microplastics: The tiny threat and why recycling is not the best answer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — If seeing is believing, then it may be hard for many of us to understand that when we take a breath, take a bite of food or take a drink, we are at risk of ingesting thousands of microplastic particles . But we are, and that has scientists and researchers concerned.

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d say it’s about a nine,” said University of Tennessee professor Mike McKinney. “It’s actually classified as a very high priority high contaminant by the EPA.”

McKinney, who has called UT Knoxville home for almost four decades, has focused a lot of his efforts recently on studying microplastics.

“People don’t realize that when they litter or put something in a landfill, the plastic will break down into smaller and smaller particles. And eventually, they become microplastics,” said McKinney. “They’re in the air, they’re in the water, they’re in the soil. The main concern is, if you have enough of it, it can cause physical blockages.”

So, just how small are microplastics? By definition, they are five millimeters or less in size.

“So, think of your PVC piping. When it comes out it almost looks like sugar. It’s very very light, and very small,” said UT Graduate Student Jake Carr. “Polystyrene, you’ll see this in clothing. Interestingly enough, it almost looks like glass. Especially when it breaks apart.”

“If you do a load of clothing it has about 100,000 microplastic particles to come out of the clothing. That goes right into the river,” added McKinney.

This led us to ask, what can we do to curb the microplastics issue? Lizzie Gaver with Keep Knoxville Beautiful suggests reducing first, then reusing, and finally recycling.

“So, if you can reduce and not use plastic, to begin with, that is the best mechanism. When you get into reuse you’re obviously trying to extend its lifecycle a little bit. And then the last option is recycling,” Gaver explained.

That is a key point that both Gaver and McKinney stress: recycling should not be the number-one option when it comes to attacking the problem of microplastics.

“Once you get to recycling, every time it is recycled, and made into a new material, it breaks down a little bit more and becomes a lower quality plastic,” Gaver told 6 News. “Eventually it will end its life cycle.”

“I think recycling is a problem because it extends people’s use of plastics,” continued McKinney. “We just need to get it out of our lives. What that means is plant-based materials. Things made from starches and plants. Doesn’t mean we have to do without the things we need. We should just make it from something else.”

An effort that will take time, money and some convincing in a society that relies heavily on plastics for just about everything we do.

“Microplastics aren’t going to kill us tomorrow or today. It’s not like cyanide,” said McKinney. “But if you are ingesting it for 50 years it’s probably going to increase your chances of getting cancer, some kind of blockage, or stroke. Depending on your degree of exposure.”

A concern that continues to be the focus of numerous studies. But, if you are concerned about the amount of microplastics you take in. Consider this — McKinney told us that most organs in our bodies already contain microplastics; it starts from when we are just babies and never stops.

“We eat the equivalent of a credit card every couple of weeks,” he said.

As far as what’s being done to address the plastics problem, in March of 2022, 175 countries, including the U.S., agreed to create a legally binding agreement to create a global treaty to eliminate plastic pollution.

To date, the treaty has not been finalized, but negotiations are scheduled to resume in late November 2024.

To learn more about recycling or to volunteer with Keep Knoxville Beautiful, click here. The National Ocean Service and Harvard Medicine also offer more advanced information on microplastics for those interested in learning more.

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