The best available evidence suggests that microplastics and nanoplastics do not pose a widespread risk to humans or the environment, except in small pockets. But that evidence is limited, and the situation could change if pollution continues at the current rate.
This is the verdict of a group of experts, nominated by academies across Europe, in an Evidence Review Report published today by SAPEA. The report will inform the forthcoming Scientific Opinion from the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, due in April 2019. The Opinion in turn will be delivered directly to European Commissioners to help inform policy-making.
A draft copy of the report was circulated to Engineering Academies for comment. Mr. Tom Leahy prepared a submission on behalf of IAE.
The conclusions of this evidence based report are:
The best available evidence suggests that microplastics and nanoplastics do not pose a widespread risk to humans or the environment, except in small pockets. But that evidence is limited, and the situation could change if pollution continues at the current rate.
This is the verdict of a group of experts, nominated by academies across Europe, in an Evidence Review Report published today by SAPEA. The report will inform the forthcoming Scientific Opinion from the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, due in April 2019. The Opinion in turn will be delivered directly to European Commissioners to help inform policy-making.
The new SAPEA report is unique because it examines evidence from across the whole spectrum of science. The authors draw on a comprehensive examination of the best available evidence from the natural sciences and computer modelling, as well as social, political and behavioural sciences.
Its key conclusions are:
- Microplastics — tiny particles under 5mm in length — are already present across air, soil and sediment, freshwaters, seas and oceans, plants and animals, and in several components of the human diet.
• These particles come from a variety of sources, including plastic products, textiles, fisheries, agriculture, industry and general waste.
• In controlled experiments, high concentrations of these particles have been shown to cause physical harm to the environment and living creatures, including inducing inflammation and stress.
• However, the concentration levels measured in many real-world locations are well below this threshold — though there are also limitations in the measurement methods currently available.
• Meanwhile, in other parts of the environment, there is no reliable evidence about the levels or effects of these particles. This is true especially of nanoplastics, which are very difficult to measure and evaluate.