Inside the Microplastic Nightmare

Try as we might to avoid them, microplastics are entrenched in modern life. One particularly high-exposure environment has been overlooked by studies and the dangers posed to its workforce.

By Lawrence Solomon | Published by the Financial Post Junk Science Week series

In Brief

Microplastics permeate our environment and bodies, with studies revealing individuals ingest between 78,000 and 211,000 particles annually through consumption or inhalation. A joint Canadian government study underscores their ubiquity, present in indoor/outdoor air, tap water, waterways, soil, and even food salt. Despite efforts to avoid them, pollution remains unavoidable, as microplastic levels in water show no consistent correlation with bottle material (plastic, glass, carton) and depend more on usage patterns (single vs. multi-use).

While plastic bottles bear the brunt of public campaigns to reign in the microplastic menace, Lawrence Solomon argues they contribute minimally to microplastic pollution. He reveals the most hazardous hotspot for most of us is one studies have not yet directed significant focus to, including the research candidates most likely to work in these locations.

Continue here to the publisher’s website to read this article in full.

Lawrence Solomon is a founding columnist at Financial Post, a columnist at Epoch Times, and a past columnist for the Globe and Mail. The Deniers, a #1 environmental best seller on global warming, was deemed one of the “10 Books That Drive The Debate” by the US National Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at LS@lawrencesolomon.ca.

Image created by Generative AI.