CONSUMPTION & POLLUTION.

A STUDY OF HUMAN CONSUMPTION AND ITS DIRECT RELATION TO NATURE’S POLLUTION.

Nov 2022 – Jan 2023

BY JESUS H. RIVERO A.
UNIVERSITY OF EUROPE FOR APPLIED SCIENCES – HAMBURG, GERMANY.
 Table of Contents:

I. Abstract (p. 2).

II. Introduction (p. 2).

III. Materials and Methods (p. 3).

• METHODOLOGY
• MATERIALS

IV. Approach & Development (pp. 3-12).

• FIRST STEP: A VIEW INTO THE STATUS QUO OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS.
• LINKING THE CLIMATE CRISIS TO POLLUTION GENERATED BY HUMAN CONSUMPTION.
• EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION THROUGHOUT THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES.

V. Discussion & Conclusions. (pp. 12-13)

VI. References & Bibliography. (pp. 13-14)

1
 Abstract:

This research project is conducted with the purpose of: Inform the researcher and the reader
regarding the topic of environmental concern and pollution caused by human consumption,
provide a clearer perspective of the topic through summarized reviewed scientific data that
allows to clarify possible misconceptions around the topic. The initiative of starting this project
follows the believe of a need to arrive to certainty and conclusions around a topic that has such
impact in modern society and from which so much (in times) misleading information is
promoted. This research project is a content analysis of gathered scientific data from various
sources.

Introduction:

Fully understanding environmental pollution that derives from human consumption is rather a
complicated matter that in this paper is intended to be compressed and inputted concisely
taking into account the expected length of the project, time, budget, and other constraints
related to external factors. Environment pollution related to human consumption is complex to
measure hence it often takes place in a process that consists of many steps and yields multiple
outcomes that at the same time produce other forms of pollution. Acting therefore, in a looping
action-reaction manner that then integrates with the cyclical way natural spaces function.
Having as an out-turn of this that the functioning way of these natural spaces is being altered
due to the influence of external agents which are unrelated to the components that normally
take action in the active development of the cycle. Having as a result to this in most of the cases
negative impacts in the wildlife, Flora, and human life. (See Maquita K. Hill, “Understanding
Environmental Pollution – Fourth Edition. Chapter one: Understanding Pollution [1.1 The
Anthropocene])

2
 Materials and Methods:

• METHODOLOGY:
In order to be able to input well-arranged information that at the same time summarizes and
increases the chances of arriving to faithful conclusions and findings, the “Non-systematic”
applied research methodology is to be applied in this research project. Meaning that: The
addressed problem is first defined and segmented into several parts of the same problem to
then seek for possible solutions to each of them once the causes of each are identified and
understood.

• MATERIALS:
The initial approach is to gather selected primary sources to produce secondary ones. Ever
since the collection of empirical data for this paper happens through textual analysis and the
review of case studies. All primary sources and references are listed under the Reference &
Bibliography section of this document (see References & Bibliography).

Approach & Development:

• FIRST STEP: A VIEW INTO THE STATUS QUO OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS.
“In 2020, the earth’s surface temperature was around 0.98 Celsius degrees warmer than the
20th-century average. In the last few years, global temperatures have been consistently among
the hottest on record. The global anomaly in surface temperature might cause an increase in
sea level, a decrease in arctic ice, and a growing number of weather-related catastrophes,
including storms, floods, and droughts.” - Madhumitha Jaganmohan (See Madhumitha
Jaganmohan, Jun 2022. Global climate change - statistics & facts. Statista.)
CO2 (Carbon dioxide) Emissions:
The accelerated increase of dioxide emissions has been proved by the scientific community
worldwide to have played a major role in the perceived raise of global temperatures recorded.

3
This effect is understood to have negative connotations for the planet’s nature and inhabitants
well-being. But in order to understand why an increase in CO2 emissions is a problem, first it’s
precise to comprehend what carbon dioxide is by itself.
Carbon dioxide is a classified natural gas (greenhouse gas) which has always been naturally
generated by animals and people. CO2 is part of the selected greenhouse gases that allow the
earth to maintain a regulated temperature with relation to the effects of the sun upon it, by
trapping and releasing back thermal radiation creating the so called “Greenhouse effect”. The
main greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
Without the existence of greenhouse gas emissions, it is clear that the biosphere would be
highly inhospitable for human beings, most animals, plant species, and most kinds of organisms
since it’s believed the most possible outcome of an earth where greenhouse gases are not
present is an outrageous decrease in the temperature until points where life would not be able
to subsist.
Nevertheless, even though carbon dioxide is not itself a harmful component. Proven statistics
have shown a relation between the rise on the quantity of it emissions since the early stages of
the industrial revolution (the beginnings of fossil fuel combustion massively employed) and the
phenomenon of climate change. (See Ian Tiseo, Jun 2022. “Global historical CO2 emissions from
fossil fuels and industry 1750-2020.” Statista.)
Carbon dioxide emissions related to human consumption during the last century can be majorly
advocated to the following industries:
The Electricity Industry: According to a study carried out with the objective of exploring CO2
emissions reduction through electric grid technologies by professors at the Alexandria Higher
Institute of Engineering & Technology (AIET), Alexandria, Egypt. It is estimated that around 40%
of global carbon dioxide emissions are accountable to electricity generation through the
combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. (See Lamiaa Abdallah, Tarek El-
Shennawy, "Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity Sector Using Smart Electric Grid
Applications", Journal of Engineering, vol. 2013, Article ID 845051, 8 pages.)
The Transportation Industry: According to the same study cited in the paragraph above. The
Transportation Industry can be accountable for around 25% to 30% of the total global emissions
of carbon dioxide per year. The transportation of individuals as well as consumer goods around
the world through sea, land, and air is mostly performed by vehicles that operate based on the
combustion of fossil fuels and derivatives of them. (See Lamiaa Abdallah, Tarek El-Shennawy,
"Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity Sector Using Smart Electric Grid
Applications", Journal of Engineering, vol. 2013, Article ID 845051, 8 pages.)
Deforestation: The consequences of deforestation of natural environments and the mining of
fossil fuels is not easily accountable due to the fact that some of negative outcomes of this
practice are not yet proven to be reparable, and the potential of the possible pollution

4
generated by them is exponential. As summarized main ways in which the practice generates
pollution through CO2 we have that:

• Threes and flora absorb CO2 from their surroundings and store it on its branches, roots,
and the soil.
• When natural areas are cleared out, CO2 that was trapped into the trees and the soil is
liberated into the atmosphere.
• The “carbon cycle” is interrupted. Causing the CO2 that had been stored during it to be
released as well.
For more information regarding this phenomenon: (See The Climate Council “Land Carbon: No
Substitute for Action on Fossil Fuels” Climate Council of Australia Ltd.)

• LINKING THE CLIMATE CRISIS TO POLLUTION GENERATED BY HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

It is understood within the scientific community that the interference of human activity and the
industry have affected negatively the ecosystems of the earth. Therefore, this part of the paper
is not intended to offer arguments to prove this point, but rather to go through the areas of
human consumption that derivate the pollution. With the objective of having a clearer idea of
how, and in which amount they do so.
Throughout the chapter. The approach taken consists of segmenting the ecosystems pollution
into three areas affected differently: Air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution. In order
to review its causes and effects. Based on the following source: (see Prince O. Ukaogo,
Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 - Environmental pollution: causes, effects, and the
remedies, Editor(s): Pankaj Chowdhary, Abhay Raj, Digvijay Verma, Yusuf Akhter,
Microorganisms for Sustainable Environment and Health, Elsevier, 2020, Pages 419-429.)
Air Pollution: First, we could define the term air pollution as the gathered amount of gasified
natural or unnatural (processed by humans) substances that are present in the atmospheric air,
and that signify a dangerous threat or directly has negative connotations towards wild life,
humans, natural spaces, and other kinds of organisms. Put in rather simpler wording: “Broadly
speaking, air pollution suggests the presence of chemical compounds in the air, which are not present
originally but have resulted in the decrease in the quality of air.” (See Prince O. Ukaogo, Ugochukwu
Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 - Environmental pollution: causes, effects, and the remedies).
Air pollution has directly contributed to the phenomenon of global warming and the
depreciation of the ozone layer. Depending on the causes and processes of the air pollutants to
be created, these would have different characteristics and effects on the space they are present
on. Common gaseous pollutants are sulfur oxides (especially SO2), nitrogen oxides (including

5
NO and NO2), volatile 420 Microorganisms for Sustainable Environment and Health organic
compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2).
The damage that these pollutants are to cause depends mostly on two elements (depending on
the perspective of whom and how the phenomena is approached): The first one is the chemical
composition of the pollutants, factors like the gases’ oxidizing ability, solubility and
concentration. The second one would be the susceptibility of the agent that’s being affected by
the pollutant (living beings and ecosystems).
This citation explains in overall some of the ways in which air pollution has negative effects
particularly against human life:
“For humans, SO2 gases may damage the skin and upper airways because they are water
soluble, whereas O3 and NO2 can penetrate further into the lungs because of their lesser
solubility. CO is a colorless, odorless, highly soluble, and nonirritating gas that has higher
affinity to hemoglobin compared to oxygen, thus, it readily passes into the bloodstream to form
carboxyhemoglobin with detrimental effects. PM is usually classified by its size or aerodynamic
diameter: PM10 denotes particles ,10 mm in diameter; PM2.5 particles are ,2.5 mm in
diameter; and PM0.1 particles are ,0.1 mm in diameter. Large particles that are visible as dust
can be carried by wind and deposit on buildings, structures, and in human eyes. Several health-
damaging pollutants such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) are commonly found in emissions from the incomplete combustion of organic
materials. However, these pollutants can bind to PM, travel long distances and deposit on the
environment causing serious harm. Thus, air pollution is seen as the most severe of pollution
types.” (See Prince O. Ukaogo, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 - Environmental
pollution: causes, effects, and the remedies).
Water Pollution: A starting point to understand water pollution could be the fact that in this
case, pollution can come not only from a man-made source but also from natural sources. The
way in which water bodies can actually happen to be naturally polluted occurs when
underground water containing high quantities of metallic compounds merges with water
bodies whose ecosystems are then deteriorated due to the increase of the percentage of these
substances in the water.
“Geological formations of different areas largely contribute to the elemental compositions of
the water bodies, and as such could be the reason for the elevated concentrations of the
elements causing pollution of the water.” (See Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Innocent C. Nnorom,
Sunday O. Eze, Lithium in drinking water sources in rural and urban communities in
Southeastern Nigeria, Chemosphere, Volume 245, 2020.)
It is safe to say that a bigger portion of the stake when it comes to responsibility to be allocated
for the pollution of water can be directed to human waste. Reasons such as domestic wastes,
insecticides and herbicides, food processing waste, pollutants from livestock operations, heavy
metals from electronic wastes, chemical waste, and medical wastes, and plastic disposals are
6
some of the agents that take part in the water pollution process caused by men-kind. Also, it is
to be noted that air pollution also takes part in the process of water pollution, by delivering
harmful components into the surfaces of water bodies, and through the process of water due
to precipitation of rains that carry these components within them.
Soil Pollution: When discussing soil pollution it is important to mention the fact that natural
disasters and natural erosion contribute to the pollution of the soil in many cases. Nevertheless,
the main soil contamination factors are industrial disposals and disposals from domestic human
consumption. The main pollutant agents that are seen in soil pollution include: heavy metals,
hydrocarbons, inorganic and organic solvents. The inadequate process in which these agents
are disposed or burned, along with inadequate landfills are the main forms of soil pollution.
petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries, and power-generating plants are among the main
generators of soil pollution from the industry. Activities such as petroleum exploration, refining,
and distribution through road transport often result to soil pollution.
Plastic taking part into soil pollution has in recent years gained importance among the
international panorama due to the high risks of it and already noticeable consequences it has
for human life. With the negative reactions that plastic causes on animals and plants due to its
toxic-to-life components that are able to penetrate both in the soil and systems of plants and
animals causing in many cases their death or health deterioration. In other cases, animals and
plants are able to bare the micro-plastic components, and these make their way into human
organisms when the plants and animals are consumed. As proves the study conducted by
scientists of the Dutch National Organization for Health Research and Development, which
revealed presence of the micro additives in more than 80% of individuals tested (See Heather A.
Leslie, Martin J.M. van Velzen, Sicco H. Brandsma, A. Dick Vethaak, Juan J. Garcia-Vallejo, Marja
H. Lamoree, Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood,
Environment International, Volume 163, 2022.)
Within the causes of Environmental Pollution, we can find:
- Industrialization: Ever since the start of the industrial revolution and the urbanization of
spaces, the processes used for the fabrication of goods was designed in a way that
would constantly yield hazardous components into nature. Such as plastics and other
additives, greenhouse gases from the process of combustion of fossil fuels, etc.

- Mining and Exploration Activities: The mining process may yield different forms of
pollution depending on the level of advance the mining or exploration process reaches.
It can cause soil and water pollution due to the mined materials mixing with the natural
spaces, the disintegration of natural habitats of flora and fauna, as well as air pollution
due to machinery functioning through fossil fuel combustion.

- Agricultural and Cattle Raising Activities: Agriculture represents a big stake of the total
pollution generated worldwide. It is a vital sector for society and human development.

7
 And it would hardly be an industry that would yield zero pollution even in the most
optimistic scenario. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the pollution generated in these
activities comes from practices that could be avoidable, such as the intentional burning
of fields, the overtake of natural environments, excess of fertilizers for the crops, the
burning of waste materials, use of nonbiodegradable components, animal waste may
produce health threatening disease and viruses.

- Plastics: The main reasons why plastics are so pollutant are: We use them
indiscriminately. “It was reported that between 1960 and 2013 the growth of municipal
solid waste generation in the United States was 188%, whereas the generation of
plastics was 8238%” (See Prince O. Ukaogo, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 -
Environmental pollution: causes, effects, and the remedies). And the fact that plastics
are greatly nonbiodegradable, plastics turn into macro and micro plastic, the first ones
interfering with damaging flora and fauna of the areas where it decomposes, the second
one being able to integrate into the systems of living being producing a variety of
damages from which consequences measures are still being researched but that has
been linked to diseases such as cancer in humans and animals.

Within the effects of Environmental Pollution, we can find:

Disclaimer: “The effects of environmental pollution are to date underreported in most
developing countries that suffer pollution the most. This is because of poor database
management systems that are not reliable, and partly due to lack of awareness of the harmful
consequences that pollution could pose on the environment and health.” (See Prince O.
Ukaogo, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 - Environmental pollution: causes, effects,
and the remedies).
- Effects on the environment: The term Environmental pollution bears this name for a
reason. What it’s understood as environment, the natural space which living beings
inhabit (Understanding all living beings, from humans to microorganisms) is foremost
the ultimately negatively affected one. As its mechanisms of functioning are altered and
damaged. Such alterations and damages can be assorted as damages to trees, extinction
of wildlife species, soil destruction leading to soil infertility, habitat destruction, loss of
natural resources, alterations to the chemical properties of soil, wetlands, and air. These
alterations have been proved to derivate negative connotations towards humans and
other species, such as: Shortage of food and water, starvation, natural disasters, the
proliferation of hazardous viruses towards life, etc. As it is understood, These effects on
the natural spaces affect as well directly or indirectly the living beings that live within
them.

8
- Effects on human health: It is by many seen as an act of “karma” the fact that the
damaging effects caused by humans in nature product of the pollution generated by
human consumption has lead to most of the current kinds of illnesses that affect
humanity being scientifically linked in some way to environmental pollution. Having into
account that research is still in development to link many specific illnesses to a certain
type of pollution, needless is to acknowledge the irrefutable fact that pollution
generated by humans has increased the number and the variety of diseases that
humanity nowadays deals and battles with. Heart diseases, pulmonary diseases,
neurological diseases, etc. One of the most recent examples would be the role air,
water, and soil pollution have played in the spreading, initiation, and development of
the coronavirus disease (caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2); from which the last two
factors mentioned are still being researched to understand the amount of implication
human pollution actually have had in the epidemic.

“Additionally, the Global Burden of Disease reported that one component of ambient
(or outdoor air) pollution, which is PM with an aerodynamic diameter ,2.5 mm (PM2.5)
was the fifth leading risk factor for death in the world, accounting for 4.2 million deaths
and more than 103 million disability adjusted life years lost in 2015” (See Prince O.
Ukaogo, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 - Environmental pollution: causes,
effects, and the remedies).

- Effects on animal health: The negative consequences of environmental pollution on

animal health is seen with special emphasis reflected on marine wildlife. This is due to
two main pollutant agents or factors: Oil and other resources exploration, and plastic
that ends up in the waters of seas, rivers, and other bodies of water. Oil and other
pollutant substances that are spilled into the water through broken pipelines, spills in
the extraction process, derivation of oils to the water through damaging of marine soil,
have been proven to inflict damage in marine wildlife’s digestive, respiratory, and
circulatory systems in the forms of: Damage on the skin and feathers of seabirds,
poisonous ingestion of the substances that leads animals to perish, genetic variability
and biodiversity of the natural population, etc. On this last point, plastic also plays an
important role, other consequences of plastics related to water pollution are: General
damage of the ecosystems, restrains of the biodiversity, highly poisonous when
ingested, laceration and lesions, choking of aquatic organisms, damages the
photosynthesis process of algae and other marine flora, restriction of the movement
and/or development of animals, changes in metabolic processes and behavior, etc.

- Effects on microorganisms: “Microscopic communities in flowing water ecosystems,

such as zooplankton, play vital roles in the nutrient cycle and energy transfer in the
aquatic food webs (Xiong et al., 2019). Consequently, environmental degradation in
aquatic ecosystems could be reliably assessed through biotic responses of microscopic

9
 organisms to their environmental condition. However, pollution has significantly
influenced the geographical distribution of zooplankton biodiversity, thereby reducing
their efficacy.” (See Prince O. Ukaogo, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Chibuzo V. Onwuka, 21 -
Environmental pollution: causes, effects, and the remedies).

• EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION THROUGHOUT THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES.

Population growth is a phenomenon that humanity has witnessed during the last century and
it’s predicted to continue at the current expansion pace until at least mid-century, as can be
seen in the following graph provided by Statista:

According to the theory of the demographic transition, the increase of the accessibility of
healthcare, shelter, food, and other resources such as education are the main factors that play
a role for underdeveloped countries in order to transition towards stability. Causing therefore,
in the first years of this process an abrupt decrease in the death rate as well as supporting the
nativity rates with advanced healthcare and vital resources being available for the people,
diminishing child death rate and so contributing to the population growth.
Nevertheless, this theory states the fact that factors such as education and an increase on the
liberties of the people eventually cause the population rate to decrease. Having as an example
of this the status quo and evolution of the majority of the countries that went through the first

10
and second industrial revolution. Now, how is population growth related to environment
pollution?
There are differences in the ways population growth caused pollution in the 1950s and the way
it does nowadays. For example, pollution due to population growth in the past was majorly
allocated to the most developed nations almost entirely, nations where the population had a
bigger capacity to consume goods that would create pollution, whereas nowadays, even though
developed nations still generate an important amount of the world’s pollution we’ve seen an
increase of the stake of pollution generated that can be allocated to still developing nations,
something that was not the case in the past. We can see this in the following graph by Statista
that shows the amount of CO2 emissions allocated to each country:

11
The reasons for this shift in the pollution production amounts generated by developed nations
in comparison to developing nations are that more sustainable ways of consumption have been
primary adopted in developed countries as well as the population rates have stabilized, in
opposition to developing countries where population growth is at its historical peak constantly,
and their developing industries produce more, combined with little to none sustainable
practices applied to the country’s consumption systems in the case of developing nations.
Again, according to the theory of demographic transition, it’s expected that developing nations
eventually reach the top of their population expansions and population growth stabilizes with
the advancements of science and social securities, as well as the transition between
generations. Science and Technology advances that are already being applied and developed in
nations are expected to reach developing countries causing its amounts of pollution generated
to decrease. (See George Martine, José Eustáquio Diniz Alves, “Economy, society and
environment in the 21st century: three pillars or trilemma of sustainability?” Brazilian Institute
of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil.

Discussion & Conclusions:

- Natural systems are being negatively affected by human consumption systems,

particularly the actions of mis-disposing of hazardous agents that derivate in the
processes of production and in the end of the consumption process
- The approach of reducing consumption that has been portrayed during the last decades
by environmental protection organizations has been proven to be ineffective and/or
rather misleading, even though an individual, a group of individuals, or a nation reduces
its consumption the global pollution rates do not decrease as a result of the action of
simply consuming less because population growth continues escalating.
- More sustainable practices applied to the processes of consumption are effective in
reducing the impacts of human consumption reflected in pollution generated. As we can
understand from the fact that developed nations have not seen a significant drop in
their total population nor a reduction in their total consumption but their amount of
pollution generated has been reduced.
- Most of the global pollution generated can be allocated to a rather small group of
international companies mostly related to the fossil fuel industry as well as the mining
and deforesting industries.
- Pollution can occur due to natural reasons such as natural disasters, volcanic eruptions,
merge of water bodies with different components, etc.

12
 - Net zero emissions of extra greenhouse gases is a reachable goal through the
replacement of pollutant agents in the processes of consumption in favor of sustainable
agents.

References & Bibliography:

Primary Literature:

- Maquita K. Hill, “Understanding Environmental Pollution – Fourth Edition.” (Link:

https://books.google.de/books?id=yVDuDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PR13&ots=gWay-
Z7iqA&dq=environment%20pollution&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false)

- MADHUMITHA JAGANMOHAN, JUN 2022. “GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE - STATISTICS & FACTS.” STATISTA.
(LINK: https://www.statista.com/topics/1148/global-climate-
change/#topicHeader__wrapper)

- Ian Tiseo, Jun 2022. “Global historical CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry 1750-
2020.” Statista. (Link: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264699/worldwide-co2-
emissions/)

- Lamiaa Abdallah, Tarek El-Shennawy, "Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from

Electricity Sector Using Smart Electric Grid Applications", Journal of Engineering, vol.
2013, Article ID 845051, 8 pages, 2013. (Link: https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/845051)

- The Climate Council “Land Carbon: No Substitute for Action on Fossil Fuels” Climate
Council of Australia Ltd. (Link:
https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/uploads/aadc6ea123523a46102e2be45bfcedc8.pdf
)

- PRINCE O. UKAOGO, UGOCHUKWU EWUZIE, CHIBUZO V. ONWUKA, 21 - ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION:

CAUSES, EFFECTS, AND THE REMEDIES, EDITOR(S): PANKAJ CHOWDHARY, ABHAY RAJ, DIGVIJAY VERMA,
YUSUF AKHTER, MICROORGANISMS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH, ELSEVIER, 2020,

13
 PAGES 419-429. (LINK:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128190012000218 )

- Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Innocent C. Nnorom, Sunday O. Eze, Lithium in drinking water

sources in rural and urban communities in Southeastern Nigeria, Chemosphere, Volume
245, 2020. (Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125593. )

- HEATHER A. LESLIE, MARTIN J.M. VAN VELZEN, SICCO H. BRANDSMA, A. DICK VETHAAK, JUAN J.
GARCIA-VALLEJO, MARJA H. LAMOREE, DISCOVERY AND QUANTIFICATION OF PLASTIC PARTICLE POLLUTION
IN HUMAN BLOOD, ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL, VOLUME 163, 2022. (LINK:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258 )

- George Martine, José Eustáquio Diniz Alves, “Economy, society and environment in the
21st century: three pillars or trilemma of sustainability?” Brazilian Institute of
Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil. (Link:
https://www.scielo.br/j/rbepop/a/pXt5ZtxqShgBKDJVTDjfWRn/?format=pdf&lang=en )

14