Plastic pollution is a serious global problem. This is a wake-up call to take it seriously and conduct a systematic mapping of the pollution in Israel. Opinion
Dr. Omri Hasson, Zavit – Science and Environmental News Agency
We are all familiar with a blood test to detect vitamin D deficiency, but what about a test to detect microplastics in the blood? The day is not far off when drinking water and air quality measurements and even routine blood tests will be required to include standards for this as well. This scenario may sound imaginary, but it is important to understand that this is a serious global crisis that is gaining momentum, and that policymakers must invest efforts to begin to deal with it. In order to understand the magnitude of the crisis, we must first and foremost conduct a systematic mapping of the problem of microplastic pollution and its implications in Israel.
There are many different types of plastic in the world. Similarly, there are also a variety of plastic particles that break down over time as a result of weathering processes of the material. These particles, called microplastics or nanoplastics depending on their small size, are found in in the water that we drink, in food that we eat, In the air That we breathe, In the ground that grows around us and, not surprisingly, also Within us.
For illustration purposes, almost all garment that we wear is made of plastic fibers. These fiber fragments find their way over time, sucked up by the vacuum cleaner, or spilled with the washing machine water into the sewer and from there are discharged to a wastewater treatment plant. There, their future depends on their size, shape and fate. Either they will escape the treatment mechanisms and end up in the irrigation water for agricultural crops, or they will be transferred with the sewage sludge to the composting process for agricultural fertilizer. Either way, microplastics are dispersed in huge quantities in the environment without us fully understanding their impact on the soil and the life in it or on plants. When it is absorbed by plants, beyondinjury In their defense and growth mechanisms, it is eventually passed on to those who eat them, humans or other living beings.
Today, they are produced worldwide. About 430 A million tons of plastic a year, most of which becomes waste. Local authorities in Israel collect About 266 One million tons of municipal waste per year, about 20 percent of which is plastic. Beyond this amount, which is recognized by the general public as packaging waste, almost every product around us contains large amounts of plastic that is released into the environment, From transportation Where we travel, through Colors that make our lives more colorful, to the cute toys andSynthetic grass Those who get sunburned in the kindergarten yards and harm the health of our children.
A gloomy picture
In Israel, a small number of studies on the subject have been published so far. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Institute for Marine and Lake Research have published Reports for the years 2020–2022 that indicated the presence of microplastics in high concentrations in the marine environment. study showed that the coastal strip is contaminated with more than two tons of microplastics, especially in the Tel Aviv and Hadera areas, near the mouths of streams into the sea. However, the information accumulated in Israel so far is very lacking and gives a bleak, but only partial, picture, mainly concerning the marine and coastal environment.
International studies illustrate the unimaginable scope of the pollution and raise many red flags regarding the lack of research and understanding of the severity of the problem in Israel. Alongside the marine environment, the study indicates the nature and extent of the damage In terrestrial systems and indicates the presence of huge amounts of microplastics in the environment and, as a result, in living creatures including insects and microorganisms. However, among the most disturbing studies are those that show the presence of plastic particles in the human body. In recent years, microplastics have been found inTesticles, Bways of breathing, Blungs, Bblood, BMother milk, Bplacenta And even inbrainRegarding the question of whether it is possible to live with these particles inside our bodies, researchers have shown that they accumulate in body tissues and the bloodstream and increase the risk ofFertility problems, Tocancer, ToCardiac and cerebrovascular events and death.
Understand the order of the hour
To begin to understand how to address this monstrous and uncontrolled crisis, it is first necessary to map microplastic pollution in Israel. A broad database must be built that will allow decision-makers to formulate a national policy to address the issue. The database will make it possible to identify the sources of heavy pollution alongside those that are less so and to characterize their distribution in different environments (in the air, in water sources, in organisms and the human body, in the home environment and in the inhabited space, etc.). At the same time, it is necessary to identify the types of materials and their fate in the environment (methods of decomposition, changes in the chemical properties of plastic compounds, etc.) and to understand the local effects on human health and the environment. Finally, the development of new technologies for identifying microplastics and nanoplastics must be encouraged and funded and innovative solutions must be promoted to deal with the pollution.
The responsibility lies with policymakers in the State of Israel, who need to understand the urgency of the situation and the magnitude of the problem and align themselves with the global front in the fight against one of the most serious crises that humanity will face in the coming years, alongside the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and other familiar economic and geopolitical problems.
Policymakers must invest the necessary resources in research and take the issue seriously, just as they have begun to take the climate crisis. Like climate change, pollution is also The plastic It is global, but the local impacts need to be studied in each country separately, and so the solutions need to be adapted to the location. Only a thorough mapping of the pollution will make it clear to us how serious it is, and only then (perhaps) will it be possible to provide a national response using various policy tools.
In our daily reality, perhaps a routine blood test for microplastics is still too early a prediction. However, the picture emerging from studies published around the world is that without a systematic policy on the subject, based on data and knowledge, our health will continue to be harmed by the tiny particles that flood our environment and, along with a lot of color and convenience, also cause a lot of damage.
Dr. Omri Hasson was a fellow in the twelfth class of interface programAs part of the program, he worked in the Prime Minister's Office, and worked, among other things, to promote mapping the problem of microplastic pollution in Israel.
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