Russian scientist Alexei Khokhlov has said that the sensational media reports about microplastics and their impact on the human body and the environment are greatly exaggerated. Khoklov, who is the head of the Department of Polymer and Crystal Physics at Moscow State University and a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said there is no basis for the claim that microplastics are harmful.

Khokhlov said: “Microplastics are defined as fragments of polymer materials smaller than 5 mm. These particles can break down into even smaller micron-sized pieces, and there are also polymer nanoparticles.  We live in an era dominated by new materials. Just 100 years ago, the polymer industry was virtually nonexistent. The widespread use of plastics began in the 1950s, and today, approximately 400 million tons of various plastics are produced annually worldwide.”

“The molecular structure of polymers consists of long chains of monomer units. Interestingly, we are made up of polymers ourselves since proteins, DNA, and RNA chains are molecules of such type. As for their presence in the environment, particles from all natural and man-made materials find their way into the environment,” he added. “All nanoparticles can enter the human bloodstream, not just microplastics. For instance, walls gradually disintegrate into dust and sand, which also make their way into the human body. There is no evidence that microplastic particles are particularly harmful.”

Read Khokhlov’s entire interview here on RT. 

According to generally accepted science, microplastics are toxic to human beings, animals, and aspects of the environment. Science Direct reported that microplastics may pose acute and (sub) chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, and developmental toxicity. Similarly, nanoplastics may pose chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, and developmental toxicity.

Linoleic Acid: A key Contributing Factor In Rising Cancer Rates

Several things in our natural world could be contributing to the rising cancer rates. This isn’t to say microplastics are or are not harmful. However, they are a relatively new introduction to the human and environmental system.