Microplastic Human Dietary Uptake from 1990 to 2018 Grew across 109 Major Developing and Industrialized Countries but Can Be Halved by Plastic Debris Removal

Microplastics (MPs),
plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are now
a growing environmental and public health issue, as they are detected
pervasively in freshwater and marine environments, ingested by organisms,
and then enter the human body. Industrial development drives this
environmental burden caused by MP formation and human uptake by elevating
plastic pollution levels and shaping the domestic dietary structure.
We map the MP human uptake across 109 global countries on five continents
from 1990 to 2018, focusing on the world’s major coastlines
that are affected by plastic pollution that affects the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation),
SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Amid rapid industrial
growth, Indonesia tops the global per capita MP dietary intake at
15 g monthly. In Asian, African, and American countries, including
China and the United States, airborne and dietary MP uptake increased
over 6-fold from 1990 to 2018. Eradicating 90% of global aquatic plastic
debris can help decrease MP uptake by more than 48% in Southeast Asian
countries that peak MP uptake. To reduce MP uptake and potential public
health risks, governments in developing and industrialized countries
in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America should incentivize
the removal of free plastic debris from freshwater and saltwater environments
through advanced water treatment and effective solid waste management
practices.