The tiny pieces of mostly invisible plastic have already been found almost everywhere on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains, as well as in the air, soil and food chain. They even discovered microplastics in human blood and in the lungs as feared. So, it is understandable that professor Nüket Sivri, from Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Environmental Engineering Department, defines microplastics as the most difficult problem for nature to solve.

"The impact of microplastics on human health is the most difficult question to answer. We also lack information about their presence in different environmental matrices such as distribution and monitoring," she said.

Sivri, who has been conducting research in coastal areas of Istanbul, especially the Küçükçekmece Lagoon, since 2006, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they have encountered plastics in living things at different trophic levels, from invertebrates to marine mammals and even seabirds.

Noting that microplastics are a bad legacy from our ancestors and that we must minimize the damage of plastic waste for future generations, Sivri said that the pressure of macroplastics on the growth and development of organisms has already been the subject of many documentaries.

'Potential for bioaccumulation'

Emphasizing that microplastics can accumulate in planktonic and small invertebrate organisms and that they have observed why and how this happens within the scope of scientific research in a laboratory environment, Sivri explained that microplastics, which are as large as the eggs of some fish species, can easily travel without encountering any obstacles until they reach the seas or lakes without being caught in filters.

Sivri pointed out that another way microplastics are transported to the marine environment is by reaching receiving environments, such as lakes and rivers, through sewage and rainwater.

"We are getting different information every day about the interaction of microplastics in aquatic areas with living things and the effects of microplastics on species. The bioaccumulation potential of microplastics increases as the size gets smaller. This accumulation potential causes toxic effects on species in the food web, which is the basis of the ecological system. In invertebrate animals, after microplastic ingestion, it is possible to talk about studies reporting lower somatic growth rates and reproductive capacity," Sivri said.

"Recently, like other national and international projects and studies, we have also encountered microplastic effects resulting in death in this type of organisms that play an active role in the nutrition of fish, rather than microplastics detected in the fish stomach. Although the number of studies examining the effects of microplastics on microorganisms in the marine environment is increasing, data in the literature is insufficient to make an appropriate risk assessment with the number of microplastics and nanoplastics detected in the environment. Continued studies are essential to identify the risk and potential impact of organisms' exposure to microplastics," she explained.

Sivri stated that exposure to microplastics in vertebrates occurred through ingestion or contamination of other exposed organisms, or through direct absorption of plastic parts from water columns or sediment, and drew attention to the fact that microplastics have opened a dangerously risky exposure path due to the high spread rate in airflows.

"Besides differences in metabolism and individual susceptibility, the response to inhalation of microplastics can be summarized as immediate bronchial reactions, diffuse interstitial fibrosis, inflammatory and fibrotic changes in bronchial and peribronchial tissue, and interalveolar lesions," she outlined.

Sivri referred to research conducted by the Vrije University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, which found microplastics in human blood for the first time.

"In recent studies on microplastics, even the detection of microplastics in the blood has ceased to amaze scientists. Because it was known that microplastics exist even in the fetus in the womb. We see microplastic structures everywhere in the world. Even in Antarctica, where people only go for research purposes, there are microplastic structures detected. The discovery of microplastics in the blood is a very effectual development, but it was within our expectations," Sivri stated.

'Nature asks people for help'

Sivri stated that plastics are increasingly being produced and used by people, and plastic materials have become the most polluting anthropogenic debris.

"The impact of microplastics on human health, which is the most difficult problem of nature to solve, is the most difficult question to answer. We also lack information about its existence in different environmental matrices such as distribution and monitoring. Continued studies and monitoring of microplastics in various biotic and abiotic environmental matrices, are essential to identify the pollution status, flow and risk of exposure by organisms, and their potential impact. However, microplastic monitoring studies need reliable and comparable methods, so it must be projected with that in mind," she explained.

Sivri pointed out that many factors are important in the formation of environmental sensitivity in individuals.

"In addition to the scientific studies to be carried out, environmental awareness training at the kindergarten level and the plastic pollution problem and its unsolved equation should be clearly explained to the whole society," Sivri said.

"I believe that the main problem in this regard is due to the low individual participation. As before the pandemic, awareness studies should be increased and the lack of education should be eliminated quickly," she added.

Sivri stated that they are involved in many projects on microplastics in Turkey and internationally.

"We have successful researchers working not only in the Marmara Sea but also in different stations belonging to the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean coastal areas in Turkey. In addition to our TÜBITAK supported projects, we have ongoing studies and joint scientific publications with Argentina, England and Korea since 2015. These are the great achievements we have made on behalf of our country," she said.