Microplastics explained (explainity® explainer video)

microplastics okay plastic we all know what that is it's in packaging shopping bags to-go cups toys car parts synthetic clothing electrical and home appliances and plastic bottles plastic is an artificially made material which is why it's technically called a synthetic compound it's made mostly of crude oil natural gas or coal it's not naturally biodegradable unlike for example compost that means plastic does not rot and often ends up as trash on the ground and in the ocean there the plastic parts disintegrate by heat wind and waves bit by bit into even smaller parts known as micro plastics by definition these tiny synthetic compounds are between five millimetres and one micrometer long even smaller particles are technically called nano plastics these shredded plastic waste particles are known as secondary micro plastics the wearing down of car tires for example is one of the biggest causes of micro plastics but before this trash is ever produced the products must first be made for that you need primary micro plastics these are small plastic pellets in industry they serve as the basic material for every plastic product you can imagine and plastics are used in various cosmetic products and household products as granules or in liquid form the problem with micro plastics like large plastic parts they are not naturally biodegradable and in cleaning processes and factories but also in showering or washing clothes they get into the sewer water on land and in our water bodies the crushed particles are moved in waves rain carries the plastic into the sewage system the smaller the particles the harder it is to filter them for example in sewage treatment plants millions of tons of micro plastics are distributed everywhere and that's increasing the surface of micro plastics is a magnet for toxins and pathogens animals both in the water and on land confuse the plastic particles with small animals and consume them as food through the food chain the pollutant rich plastic particles finally reach our plates and make their way into our bodies even in our drinking water and our foods such as salt honey or milk you can find certain micro plastics the consequences of consuming plastic for animals are diverse internal injuries and inflammations hormonal imbalances illnesses and even death the effects on humans have not been researched enough yet the topic of micro plastics is often a hot debate it's about rethinking and finding alternatives to plastic and about recycling so that the amount of plastic and the resulting micro plastics found in nature no longer increases everyone can do their part there are many possibilities one thing is to stop using plastic all together instead of to-go cups you can use mugs or a thermos plastic bags can be replaced by bags brought from home and the proper disposal of plastic wastes is important so it can be recycled and micro plastics don't end up in nature [Music] you

Channel: explainitychannel

Views: 72,123

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Id: 49OJoTsZYO0

Length: 4min 4sec (244 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 18 2019