30/03/2022
Repost
How much microplastics does the average person eat or drink? This number may make you feel uneasy.
The average person eats, drinks and breathes between 74,000 and 121,000 microplastic particles every year - and that is considered an underestimate. Research entitled 'Human Consumption of Microplastics' by Cox et al. published in Environmental Science & Technology presents an analysis of 26 studies from around the world and calculates the average amount of microplastics found in common consumables.
As our first infographic shows, the biggest known source of microplastic which enters our bodies is bottled water. Based on 4 separate studies, the average number of particles per liter is 94. Beer has the second highest number, at 32, but it’s what comes in 3rd which may cause the most alarm. Air inhaled by humans, based on two studies conducted in France and Turkey, contains an average of 9.80 particles per m³. For reference, the EPA's Exposure Factors Handbook says that a 31–51-year-old inhales an average of 16 m³ of air per day.
As our second chart shows, the world generates nearly two billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) each year, enough to fit into 822,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. MSW includes trash from companies, buildings, houses, yards, and small businesses.
China produced the most municipal solid waste of any country in the World Bank’s database at 395 million tons per year, followed by the U.S. with 265 million tons. The U.S., however, ranked much higher for the creation of MSW per capita at approximately 812 kg for every U.S. resident, trailing only Monaco, Moldova, Mongolia, Liechtenstein, and Denmark. This means that every person in the U.S. produces almost five pounds of MSW every day.
The amount of trash created is set to rise as the world population continues to grow and, most of all, grows more affluent. Between 2016 and 2050, waste is expected to increase by as much as 70 percent, according to the World Bank.
