Those microbeads make the shower gel feel that much more energizing. It’s so inexpensive to buy polyester and it can be put right into the washer, bypassing the dry cleaners. Plastic has found a way into just about every aspect of our lives... but at what cost?

Plastic is being found in fish. While whales have made headlines having been found dead with pound after pound of plastic bags and other objects in their stomachs, they are not the only sea creatures to have this problem. In fact even freshwater aquatic life is experiencing it. Take, for example, shrimp. Scientists all over the world are finding microfibers and microbeads in their digestive tracts. They can even recognize if it comes from fabric by the type of dye used. Think about that. Do you eat shrimp? If you don’t clean it well guess what else you are eating?

While “our” food supply is not currently in danger it is not boding so well for birds and turtles. The plastic in the fish they eat ends up in their own stomachs, decreasing appetite and how well nutrients can be absorbed. Of course, we don’t usually eat seabirds or turtles. Other creatures do. The biggest fear among scientists is about further breakdown of plastics.

Microplastics stay in the guts of the fish and seafood we eat, which are parts we don’t eat. However, these particles can break down into even small parts called nanoplastics. These plastics are practically invisible, and they may already be in our food supply. They don’t stay in the guts of fish and seafood. They interact on the cellular level. Scientists don’t know if they are already a problem or one waiting for the future. They are, however, very concerned.

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Plastic pollution