Reportedly there is no doubt that plastic affects the environment badly, but a trend has developed in the reporting on the impact of plastics that’s not only selective but also borders on panic mongering rather than impartial analysis of existing studies. Furthermore contrary to a great deal of media coverage which has placed plastic as environmental public enemy number one, I would argue that it’s not in the same league as the climate crisis, consumerism and human population growth which, collectively, threaten the biosphere.
Apparently a second approach, based on the size of particles found in food and drink, estimated ingestion at 0.1-0.3 g per week. Even this range is too high, because many micro plastics are fibres, which weigh much less than fragments of similar size. I estimate a value closer to 0.005 g per week.
Moreover the problem with research of this nature and the media coverage it gets is that most people will see the headline and think they’re eating 5 g of plastic a week. Perhaps we need to guard against selective and biased reporting of scientific studies to pursue particular agendas. Moreover we should do all we can to limit the amount of waste plastic entering the environment, but we cannot afford to allow the focus on plastic to detract from tackling the challenges that threaten our very existence, as well that of other species
