RQ: "What are the most effective strategies to mitigate the negative effects of microplastics?

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Citation
Summary: Include a summary of the source’s main ideas and conclusion.
Evaluation: Review the strengths and weaknesses of the source and the evidence it provides. For example,
make notes on the credibility of the author or evidence in the source’s argument.
Reflection: How does the source fit within your research? For example, how useful is it? How does it
connect to your RQ and to your other sources?
1. Blackburn, Kirsty, and Dannielle Green. "The potential effects of microplastics on human health:
What is known and what is unknown." Ambio 51.3 (2022): 518-530.
a. Blackburn, Kirsty, and Dannielle Green. "The potential effects of microplastics on human health:
What is known and what is unknown." Ambio 51.3 (2022): 518-530.
b. This study aims to answer the question to what extent humans are exposed to micro plastics and
how it could affect humans.
c. The paper examines the effects of MPs on human health by separating it into three main
categories; chemical, physical and biological effects. The authors claim that ingestion of
microplastics might cause harm to organisms via their physical presence, their chemical burden
or their microbial communities. Another claim they make is inhalation of plastic microfibers has
become a key research focus with recent estimates suggesting the general population inhales
hundreds of plastic fibers each day. Correlative research links inhalation of plastic fibers to
respiratory disease, inflammation and oxidative stress. The author makes these claims based on
understanding why micro plastics are bad based on relevant research papers.
d. This source provides background information on micro plastics. It ties to the research question
because it identifies the negative effects that we need to mitigate.
2.
a. De-la-Torre, Gabriel Enrique. "Microplastics: an emerging threat to food security and human
health." Journal of food science and technology 57.5 (2020): 1601-1608.
b. This study talks about how microplastic pollution in marine environments poses a risk to food
security and human health. Research has proven the presence of microplastics in seafood and
foodstuff around the world, meaning we are always exposed to microplastic ingestion.
Nonetheless, little is known about its direct effects on human health.
c. Identifies one common plastic additive, bisphenol A (BPA). Claims BPA negatively affects
hormones level and my led to obesity by affecting fat tissue hormones level and interfering with
the activity of lipoprotein lipase, aromatase and lipogenesis regulators
d. This source provides background information on micro plastic. It ties to the research question
because it identifies the negative effects that we need to mitigate

3. F
a. McDevitt, Jason P., et al. "Addressing the Issue of Microplastics in the Wake of the Microbead-
Free Waters Act A New Standard Can Facilitate Improved Policy." Environmental Science &
Technology 51.12 (2017): 6611-6617.
b. In this study the authors review the history of legislation and how it relates to the issue of
microplastic pollution in general. Their main claim is that “we believe that a patchwork collection
of bans on plastics in various applications is not the best way forward. Instead, development of
sustainable plastics that are environmentally safe (or at least reasonably so, recognizing that no
material, even pure water, is safe everywhere for all species in all embodiments) should be
encouraged, while environmentally harmful materials (including additives) should be
discouraged.”
c. Claims Federal “Microbead-Free Waters Act” does not eliminate all microbeads from aquatic
habitats, let alone all microplastics. It is estimated to eliminate only a small fraction, between
0.1% and 4.1%” (page 3). Future regulatory or legislative policy would be easier to write if there
was a scientifically informed standard that clearly distinguished between environmentally
friendly plastic compositions and those that are persistent, bioaccumulate, and/or toxic (page 4).
d. This source provides information about regulations regarding microplastics.
4. G
a. Khan, Muhammad Tariq, et al. "Personal protective equipment (PPE) disposal during COVID-19:
An emerging source of microplastic and microfiber pollution in the environment." Science of The
Total Environment (2022): 160322.
b. Due to the widespread use of single-use personal protective equipment during the COVID-19
epidemic, waste produced by healthcare facilities has emerged as a new form of pollution (PPE).
An increasing hazard to environmental sustainability is the release of microplastics (MPs) and
microfibers (MFs) from discarded personal protective equipment (PPE). MPs/MFs have lately
been found in a number of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including soil, deep-sea sediments, air,
and water. The usage of PPE made of plastic in healthcare institutions has greatly expanded
globally as COVID-19 increases, leading to large volumes of plastic trash entering the land and
marine habitats. This study aims to review the global consumption and sustainable management
of discarded PPE in the context of COVID-19.
c. Khan, Muhammad Tariq is a researcher at Nalco. The study backs up their statistics with
appropriate sources and citations.
d. This source provides information on how covid-19 affect microplastics pollution in the
environment.
5. H
a. Gago, Jesús, et al. "Microplastics pollution and regulation." Handbook of Microplastics in the
Environment (2020): 1-27.
b. The article highlighted the key reasons for why regulation at the local, regional, and global levels
is currently limited and discussing possible ways forward. The authors make many claims.
HELCOM is a large regional initiative of relevance to marine plastics that covers the Baltic Sea
and surrounding countries. However, it is similar in fuzziness to UNCLOS when it comes to
marine pollution by asking signatories to take “all appropriate measures.” UNCLOS uses phrases
like “shall endeavor” concerning the reduction of marine pollution, with the additional fuzziness
of states doing this “in accordance with their capabilities” MARPOL bans ships from dumping
plastic waste into the oceans. The challenge with this agreement though is its reach, in that ~80%
of the annual plastic emissions to the oceans originate from land-based sources and not ships.
c. Gago Jesus is a Researcher, Spanish Institute of Oceanography-CSIC. The article's claims are
strong and reliable because the author discusses regulations and brings up specific flaws with
them.
d. This source provides information about the current regulations and the flaws with them.
6.
a. Smith, Madeleine, et al. "Microplastics in seafood and the implications for human health."
Current environmental health reports 5 (2018): 375-386.
b. This article explores the life cycle of microplastics including their toxicity and epidemiology in
humans and animals, strategies for mitigation and adaptation, and research needs. It makes claims
like “During production, plastic is processed with additives to provide specific properties.
However, non-polymeric substances, like chemical additives or residual monomers, can be
hazardous to human health and the environment when they leach from the plastic polymer
matrix” The human body’s excretory system eliminates microplastics, likely disposing of > 90%
(page 6)
c. Smith Madeleine is an associate of JSI Research &Training Institute, United States. The claims
she makes are backed by various research articles.
d. This source provides information about how microplastics affect humans, I can use it as
background for my paper.
7.
a. Chaudhry, Akshay Kumar, and Payal Sachdeva. "Microplastics’ origin, distribution, and rising
hazard to aquatic organisms and human health: socio-economic insinuations and management
solutions." Regional Studies in Marine Science 48 (2021): 102018.
b. In this article the authors talk about aspects of microplastic pollution and propose new solutions
and measures to combat this environmental issue. One claim they make is “People often use more
plastics as their income levels improve; hence an increase in GDP will impact plastics
manufacturing (page 7)” as the top countries continue to grow their economy this will make a
need for more plastics. “In Europe alone, the 2018 annual turnover was more than 360 billion
euros, with a production of around 62 Mtpa and tax revenue of almost 30 billion euros.” (Page 7).
c. Chaudhry Kumar is an Associate Professor at IIT Kanpur. They back up their claims with reliable
sources and research articles.
d. This source provides information on the economics of plastics. I can use this as a counter
argument as to why people might be against micro plastics.

8. Jung, Youn Soo, et al. "Characterization and regulation of microplastic pollution for protecting
planetary and human health." Environmental Pollution (2022): 120442.
a. G
b. In this article, it talks about the need for additional regulations locally, nationally, and globally
for meeting the challenges of plastic pollution. As well as Bioaccumulation and the presence of
microplastics in the food chain, research on potential adverse health effects of microplastic, and
additives used in the manufacture of plastics. They make claims like “Regulations must limit the
production of plastic from fossil fuels if a policy is to effectively curb plastic impact” (page 7), “e
60% of plastic waste is generated from packaging” (page 7)
c. Soo Jung Youn is an associate of Daegu National University of Education in Korea. The claims
they make are backed up by reputable sources and good research.
d. This source provides information on the lack of regulation on micro plastics and says what types
of regulation need to happen. I will use this to form my solution of needing regulation on micro
plastics.
9. H
a. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113142
b. Plastic pollution soared from two million tonnes in 1950, to 348 million tonnes in 2017,
becoming a global industry valued at $522.6 billion, said UNEP. It is expected to double in
capacity, by 2040.
c. The statics is reliable because it is from the United Nations
d. I will use this in my background part of the IWA and in the counter argument section to explain
why some countries are against it.
10. S
a. Wright, Stephanie L, and Frank J Kelly. “Plastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue?.”
Environmental science & technology vol. 51,12 (2017): 6634-6647. doi:10.1021/acs.est.7b00423
b. This review article discusses the potential human health impacts of microplastics and highlights
the urgent need for further research in this area. The article examines existing literature on
accumulation, particle toxicity, and chemical and microbial contaminants associated with
microplastics. The authors suggest that if inhaled or ingested, microplastics could accumulate and
cause localized particle toxicity, as well as chemical toxicity through the leaching of component
monomers, endogenous additives, and adsorbed environmental pollutants. The authors argue that
chronic exposure to microplastics is of greater concern due to the accumulative effect that could
occur. The article concludes that while there is potential for microplastics to impact human
health, a robust evidence-base of exposure levels is currently lacking.
c. This article draws on a range of disciplines to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential
health impacts of microplastics. The authors cite a large number of primary sources to support
their arguments, and the article is well-structured and easy to follow. The article was published in
2017, and new research on this topic may have emerged since then. Additionally, the authors
acknowledge that a robust evidence-base of exposure levels is currently lacking, which may limit
the strength of their conclusions.
d. I will use this article to explain why microplastics are harmful to humans.