Microplastics are virtually everywhere and impossible to avoid, a researcher says, but there are small ways to reduce your consumption in everyday life.
Former consultant scientist at the Women's and Children's Hospital and researcher in microplastics and chemicals Alfred Poulos says pollutants such as microplastics are in the air, water and even food we consume.
Microplastics or microfibres are pollutants formed by the breakdown of plastics or release from textiles.
"My underlying premise has been while non-toxic amounts of substances, pollutants don't kill you, the trouble for us is we're exposed over many, many years," Professor Poulos said.
"I think, over long periods of time they [microplastics] can be toxic and can make us sick and it's very hard to prove."
He says it is too difficult to measure how much microplastic is consumed by a human and where the source of the pollutant originated.
'No doubt' microplastics in drinking water
Professor Poulos maintains drinking water is affected by microplastics and other contaminants.
"There's no doubt that there are microplastics in water. It's very difficult to do anything about it. Plastics can end up in the reservoir," he said.
"We drink water every day of our lives … and we don't know what the long-term effect is."
SA Water declined an interview on the topic but provided a statement regarding its 43 water treatment plants across South Australia.
"The World Health Organisation advises that routine monitoring of microplastics in drinking water is not recommended," the statement said.
"Regulators should continue prioritising the removal of microbial pathogens and chemicals to ensure public health.
"Water treatment facilities are considered highly effective in removing particles of smaller size and at far higher concentrations than those of microplastics."
SA Water says that water is treated to remove impurities before it is filtered and disinfected to ensure it is safe to drink
How do I minimise microplastic consumption?
There are a few everyday things to reduce the consumption of microplastics, Professor Poulos said.
"If you buy olive oil and it's in a plastic container, one of the things that happens is some of the plastic ends up being dissolved in the oil," he said.
"When I buy oil these days — and I've been doing this for years — I make sure I buy it in a glass bottle."
People should avoid heating food up in plastic containers in the microwave, Professor Poulos says, and drinking from plastic water bottles.
"One thing I wouldn't do is drink water from a plastic container," he said.
"There's absolutely no doubt … there are traces of plastic in the water."
Professor Poulos says making a conscious effort to reduce plastic purchases will also help minimise consumption.
"What we try to do, my wife and I, if we use plastic we use the same bag again and again — as long as it's not contaminated," he said.
Working on producing energy in a way that doesn't pollute the environment is a start in reducing chemicals and plastic in the atmosphere, Professor Poulos says.
"I think we're beginning to realise that we need plastics that when you put them in the environment they gradually degrade over periods of time," he said.
“I guess what you need to do is make plastics that are not potentially toxic. Some of the plastics are, some are not."
Coastal waters under threat
A recent study from Flinders University also confirmed plastic pollution was recorded in eight freshwater streams running into the Gulf St Vincent.
Study lead Sophie Leterme said microplastics were found in water samples from seven major catchment areas in metropolitan Adelaide.
The catchments included the Onkaparinga River, Pedler Creek, Christie Creek, Field River, Sturt River, Brown Hill Creek and Torrens River and ranged from 1.2 to 30 particles of microplastics per litre.
"Decades of poor waste management has underpinned mass plastic pollution around the world," Professor Leterme said.
"This study confirms the presence of microplastics in all the studied freshwater streams in Adelaide."
Researchers hoped the study would help inform authorities of the impacts microplastics are having on SA's marine waters and prompt the improvement of waste management systems.
