Alarming Study Shows 710 Trillion Particles of Microplastics in Farmlands Contaminate Food Supply

According to a study, Europe's farmlands are among the world's largest microplastic reservoirs, with its soil containing an estimated 710 trillion particles. As the crops absorb nutrients from the soil, these particles also get embedded into the food supply.

There are microplastics everywhere on the planet. They are not just commonplace in water; they are also widely dispersed in terrestrial soils and may even find their way into human food.

Sewage sludge is the waste product left over after processing municipal wastewater. Sludge is frequently used as organic fertilizer in the US and Europe because it is both expensive to dispose of and rich in nutrients.

Microplastic Reservoirs and 710 Trillion Particles

Around 40% of the sewage sludge that is produced in Europe each year, which is estimated to be 8 to 10 million tons, is spread on agricultural land. According to a study conducted by Cardiff University researchers, as a result of this practice, European farmland may be the largest global reservoir of microplastics.

Accordingly, about 86 trillion to 710 trillion microplastic particles, or between 31,000 and 42,000 tons, annually contaminate farmland in Europe.

The researchers discovered that one wastewater treatment plant in south Wales, the UK, received up to 650 million microplastic particles every day, each measuring between 1 mm and 5 mm. Instead of being released with clean water, all of these particles wound up in the sewage sludge, which makes up about 1% of the total weight.

Catherine Wilson, the Hydro-environmental Research Centre deputy director from Cardiff University, said that It's likely that the amount of microplastics that wind up on farmland is underestimated.

According to James Lofty, a Ph.D. research candidate at the Hydro-Environmental Research Centre, the concentration of microplastics on farmland soils in Europe is comparable to the amount discovered in ocean surface waters. Lofty is the lead author of the study.

According to research by Wilson and Lofty, the UK has the highest concentrations of microplastics in Europe, with 500 to 1,000 microplastic particles being dispersed on farmland there each year.

The study by Lofty, Wilson, and several colleagues was published recently in the journal Environmental Pollution.

Effects of Microplastics

Microplastics, however, can release hazardous chemicals into the soil before they are washed away. Microplastics can absorb other toxic substances, allowing them to essentially hitch a ride onto farmland where they can leach into the soil, in addition to being made of potentially harmful chemicals that may be released into the environment as they decompose, according to Lofty.

High Cadmium Content. Mary Beth Kirkham, an agronomist at Kansas University, discovered in 2020 that plastic is used as a vector for plants to absorb harmful chemicals like cadmium. According to Kirkham, the wheat leaves of the plants where the soil had plastic content contained significantly more cadmium than the plants that grew in the soil without plastic.

Skinny Earthworms. Microplastics can also stunt thegrowth of earthworms, according to research. Uncertainty surrounds the causes of this weight loss, but one theory suggests that microplastics may impede earthworms' digestive tracts, preventing them from absorbing nutrients and thereby stunting their growth.

Earthworms are crucial to maintaining the health of the soil, so this has an adverse effect on the wider environment as well, according to the researchers. Their burrowing activity improves water drainage, prevents erosion, aerates the soil, and recycles nutrients.

Apples, Carrots. Additionally, particles may directly contaminate food crops. In Catania, Sicily, Italy, microplastics, and nanoplastics were found in produce sold by local vendors as well as in supermarket-purchased fruit and vegetables. Carrots had the highest concentrations of microplastics among the sampled vegetables, and apples were the most contaminated fruit.

Smaller than Cells, Perfect for Plant Uptake

According to Peijnenburg, an environmental toxicology and biodiversity professor at Leiden University, crops absorb nanoplastic particles from surrounding water and soil through tiny cracks in their roots. Nanoplastic particles are microscopic fragments measuring between 1nm to 100nm in size, or approximately 1,000 to 100 times tinier than a human blood cell.

The majority of the microplastics, according to the analysis, accumulated in the plant roots, apart from a very small amount that reached the shoots. He cautions that the risk of ingesting microplastics would be higher for root vegetables like carrots, radishes, and turnips than for leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage where the concentrations of plastic would probably be relatively low.

Peijnenburg, together with his colleagues, found that the concentration of microplastics found in lettuce and wheat was 10 times lower when compared to the surrounding soil. The team led by Peijnenburg discovered that only the smallest particles are absorbed by plants while the larger ones are not.

However, a lot of microplastics will gradually deteriorate and disintegrate into nanoparticles, making them an excellent source for plant uptake.

According to Peijnenburg, the uptake of the microplastic particles did not appear to stunt the growth of the crops. It will take several decades before plastics are completely eliminated from the environment, he continued.

Read also: Scratched Teflon Non-Stick Pan Releases 9,100 Microplastic Particles, Research Reveals 

Microplastics

While the effects of ingested plastics on human health are still not fully understood, some research has already indicated that they might be negative. The hormones that regulate endocrine function and human growth and development can be affected by the chemicals used to make plastics.

Plastic-related chemicals have been linked to several other health issues, such as cancer, heart disease, and impaired fetal development, BBC reports.

According to an analysis from the University of Hull in the UK, high levels of ingested microplastics may also result in cell damage, which could cause inflammation and allergic reactions. The analysis was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Related article: Microplastics Found in 75% of Fish Meant for Human Consumption: Is It Still Healthy to Eat Seafood?