West Hartford resident Thomas Baldini, a student at Dickinson College, discusses the issues surrounding microplastics in terms of health concerns, global policy issues, and what citizens of West Hartford can do to tackle the problem on a local scale.

By Thomas Baldini

Did you know that the average human consumes a credit-card-sized amount of plastic every week?

Microplastics continue to be one of the world’s most significant issues and areinescapable from infiltrating our food, soil, and marine systems. The adverse effects ofmicroplastics are endless, and they cause harm to nearly everything in the natural world. Pieces of plastic have been found in the deepest parts of our oceans and are prevalent in many farm’s soils. When consumed, they reside in the tissue and cells of our bodies, damaging our organs, disrupting hormones, and even causing some forms of cancer. 

Globally, problems concerning microplastics continue to rage on. Whether world leaders deny that microplastics are damaging pollutants or they profit significantly from plastic production, they continue to refuse policy suggestions aimed at reducing its impact.

In November, delegates from the United Nations met to discuss a treaty with the goal of ending plastic pollution. Unfortunately, the treaty faced a significant amount of pushback because countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Kuwait refused to stop their plastic production. All of these countries share the fact that they are leading oil producers.

Most plastic is manufactured from petroleum, meaning that if a treaty were implemented, their plastic production profits would decline tremendously.  The world produces half a billion tons of plastic every year. On top of that, the production of COVID-19 virus prevention products in recent years has skyrocketed the amount of microplastics dispersed throughout our world.  Understandably, world leaders want to profit from producing plastic, but there is a fine line between economic growth and the irreversible harm caused to the environment and worldwide health.

The microplastic problem seems overwhelming due to the inconceivable amount of plastic waste dispersed around the world and the fact that many countries are not able to agree on policies to reduce plastic production. As individuals, the choices we make concerning what we consume and support may not affect this large-scale problem, but there are many ways to make a difference on a local level. 

Living in West Hartford, I have witnessed the negative effects of microplastics in our community. As an avid fisherman, I have found microplastics within the flesh of trout from our local Spicebush Swamp Pond. I have seen microplastics under a microscope when researching soil from the West Hartford reservoir.

Micro-plastics will continue to be prominent in West Hartford unless we, as a community, take action to prevent the problem.

At the town government level, policies must be implemented to encourage local businesses to use paper, aluminum, or glass products instead of plastic. Specific incentives could be given out to businesses that work to reduce their plastic use, such as tax breaks or grants. Additionally, microplastic filters should be included in our water treatment plant to ensure that residents are not consuming microplastics in their drinking water.

Finally, it is necessary to educate our public about this disastrous problem and provide them with the tools to reduce their plastic footprints and the keys to living healthier, plastic-free lives.

As individuals living in West Hartford, there are several things we can do to reduce our consumption and pollution of microplastics. On a day-to-day basis, it is essential to eat and drink using non-plastic alternatives to reduce one’s environmental impact and avoid any plastic contaminating the food. If you often buy plastic water bottles, try making the switch to a reusable water bottle made of metal or glass. Any single-use plastic product can be very harmful to the environment, so try to avoid them and recycle appropriately if you do use them.

Finally, the first step in making a significant impact is to talk about the problem. Have conversations with the people around you and bring awareness to the microplastic problem. Every small decision we make as individuals will compound and can lead to making West Hartford a leading force in reducing plastic consumption and pollution.

Works Cited

1. Dutchen, Stephanie. “Microplastics Everywhere.” Harvard Medicine Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024, magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplasticseverywhere#:~:text=Studies%20in%20cell%20cultures%2C%20marine,meconium%2C%20an%20infant’s%20first%20stool.
2. “Microplastics Research.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/water-research/microplastics-research#:~:text=Plastics%20have%20become%20pervasive%20in,to%201%20nanometer%20(nm). Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
3. Petersen, Kate S., et al. “Microplastics in Farm Soils: A Growing Concern.” EHN, 2 Dec. 2022, www.ehn.org/plastic-in-farm-soil-and-food-2647384684.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgdC6BhCgARIsAPWNWH3c09uwfrWCdp5N8Y2r-erEDacFOk9fMsHCbuZW9kQqFNReF_h_MgYaAlJsEALw_wcB.
4. Pletz, Martin. “Ingested Microplastics: Do Humans Eat One Credit Card per Week?” Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, Elsevier, 19 Nov. 2022, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911022000247#bibliog0005.
5. Sloat, Sarah. “How to Minimize Your Exposure to Microplastics.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 June 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/well/microplastics-health.html.
6. Tabuchi, Hiroko. “Nations Fail to Reach an Agreement on Plastic Pollution.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Dec. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/climate/united-nations-plastic-pollution.html.
7. “West Hartford Water Treatment Facility.” CT.Gov, portal.ct.gov/CEQ/DPH/Scoping-Notice/West-Hartford-Water-Treatment-Facility. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
8. Ziani, Khaled, et al. “Microplastics: A Real Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art Review.” Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 Jan. 2023, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9920460/.

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