Let me start this episode with a simple question. When the rubber meets the road, where does it go? Now I know this is a play on words. But the phrase “when the rubber meets the road” is a reference to putting a theory or idea to the test to see if it actually works. But in a very literal sense, when the rubber meets the road, where does it go? 

All of us have had to replace old worn out tires on our car, truck, or SUV at some point in time. But as you are looking at your old worn out tires, do you ever ask yourself, where did the rubber go?

Most likely it never occurred to you that you just might be eating it, literally? So, stayed tuned to find out when the rubber meets the road, where does it go? 

Introduction

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode #39 called When the Rubber Meets to Road, Where Does It Go?

In 2014 a biologist named John Weinstein and his graduate students, working with the Citadel military college in Charleston, South Carolina,  started looking for micro-plastics in the environment. 

Now if you are unfamiliar with micro-plastics, allow me to briefly explain what they are. 

As the name implies, micro-plastics are tiny plastic particles. Officially, they are defined as plastic particles less than five millimeters, which is about 0.2 inches. There are two types of micro-plastics: primary and secondary. 

Primary micro-plastics are the tiny particles, called micro-beads that are actually designed for commercial use, such as in cosmetics and even tooth paste. This also includes microfibers from clothing and other textiles such as fishing nets. These particles enter the environment in several ways: personal care products being used and then washed down the drain, abrasion from washing clothes, unintentional spills, etc.  

Secondary micro-plastics are all the tiny plastic particles that result from the degradation of larger plastics items. This happens from exposure to environmental factors such as solar radiation, wind abrasion, and water currents and ocean waves. 

So, that is the quick breakdown on micro-plastics.  Let’s get back to John Weinstein and his team. When they started looking for micro-plastics, they of course expected to find some.  And sure enough, they did. Much of what they collected were from recognizable sources, such as broken down plastic bags.  But over half of what they found were these black, somewhat cigar  shaped, microscopic particles of unknown origin. 

At first it was a mystery. They began searching the harbor for similar items but were not able to match up anything.  Their break through came when they found similar plastics in a waterway along a main roadway. That is when they realized what they had discovered. It was tiny bits of car tires. 

Now cars were invented in the late 1800s and air filled tires followed soon thereafter. But at the time, tire rubber was primarily from rubber trees, which of course contributed to a significant amount of deforestation. But in 1909 a German chemist Fritz Hoffmann, working with the Bayer company invented the first commercial synthetic rubber. By 1931 the Dupont company had industrialized the manufacturing of synthetic rubber. And of course this synthetic rubber is a plastic polymer.  

So, to answer the original question “When the rubber meets the road where does it go?” Well, according to one study I came across that was conducted by a university in the Netherlands,  tires account for about 10% of the micro-plastics found in the ocean. But the International Union for Conservation of Nature puts that number at 28 percent. 

What this means is that the tires on our vehicles are one of the biggest contributors to the micro-plastics problems. As tires wear, they throw off tiny pieces of synthetic plastic that washes off the roadways and into streams and eventually ends up in the ocean.  But awareness of this is very low and there is also no current alternative to tires. 

But this is truly just the tip of the iceberg as far as micro-plastics are concerned. Most people have absolutely no concept of the significance of this problem. 

What you first have to understand is that plastic essentially never completely degrades. For more information on the rate of degradation of various products, then go back and listen to E32 There is No Away, Now We Have to Live with Our Leavings.

Since the early 1950’s, approximately 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced. The biggest portion of that has ended up in landfills or elsewhere in the environment. But I do realize that plastic do have a valuable use. But we have become addicted to single use disposable plastic items with severe environmental consequences.

On a global scale one million plastic drinking bottles are purchase every minute. One trillion single use plastic bags are used annually. Half of all plastic produced is designed for single use only and then it is tossed in the garbage. It is these single use disposable items that are the primary source of secondary micro-plastics in the environment. 

But for many of us plastics have become an integral part of our lives and it is almost impossible to avoid.  And just to give a few examples. 

PET  is found in water bottles and dispensing containers

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is found in shampoo bottle, milk containers, freezer bags, ice cream containers

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is found in bags and food packaging film

Polypropylene (PP) is found in potato chip bags, microwave dishes, bottle caps, face masks

Polystyrene (PS) is found in plates, cups, cutlery

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is found in hot drinking cups. 

There is even a plastic liner in soup cans. It is found in cosmetics, inside toys, electronics, candy wrappers, as well as countless other products. As I said, it is almost impossible to avoid. 

The problem is that all this plastic typically ends up in the environment in one fashion or another. Additionally, what most people do not realize is that we are not only using plastics, we are also eating them. When you eat a bite of food, take a sip of water, enjoy your favorite coffee, most likely these tiny little plastic particles come right along with it.  

Welcome to the world of micro-plastics. They are pervasive in the outdoors, reaching even remote and inaccessible locations such as the Arctic, the Mariana Trench (the world’s deepest ocean trench), the Italian Alps, and even Mount Everest. Water treatment facilities are unable to completely remove micro plastics. Consequently, when sludge is used to fertilize fields, micro-plastics are spread there as well. We literally live in a sea of micro-plastics. They are prevalent in our water, food, drinks, oceans, and in our homes.  

And as I always like to ask. How does this happen? 

Well, of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced since the 1950’s less than 10% of that has been recycled. Over time much of this plastic breaks down into tiny particles that make their way into lakes, rivers, and eventually the oceans. Some of this of course is from littering.  But much of it is from storms, water run off, and deliberate dumping of waste into the oceans.

One study that I reviewed from 2016, identified four sources of micro-plastics accounted for about 78% of total ocean plastic pollution. There were as follows:

1. Microbeads used in personal care products such as face scrubs and body washes.
2. The break down of plastic fibers when synthetic textiles are washed
3. Plastic pellets that are used in the production of almost every type of plastic
4. Wear and tear of car tires

Plastic is by far the most prevalent marine debris found in the oceans and in the Great Lakes. Microplastics have been detected in marine organisms from plankton to whales, in commercial seafood, and even in drinking water. Additionally, standard water treatment facilities cannot remove all traces of micro-plastics. Furthermore micro-plastics in the ocean can bind with other harmful chemicals before being ingested by marine organisms.

In addition to that, most research on micro-plastics have mainly focused on our exposure in the natural environment. Few studies have looked at our exposure to such things in our own homes. Believe it or not, according to the EPA, the average American spends 93% of their time indoors.  Consequently, one of the greatest risk of exposure is in your own home.  

That statistic alone made me look for studies on the types of things we are exposed to because we spend so much time indoors. I reviewed one very interesting study that was conducted in Australia. Dust that was deposited indoors in 32 homes over a period of one month was analyzed. What was found is that 39% of those dust particles were micro-plastics from various sources. That means we are inhaling these particles on a regular basis. 

We Are Also Eating Microplastics In Ways That We Don’t Realize

However, we are also eating micro-plastics in ways we don’t even realize.  Now a lot of attention has been placed on how plastic is polluting our oceans. But they also end up in marine animals and consequently into our food supply. 

Fish and shell fish are an obvious examples. Consumer grade mussels have been found to be contaminate with micro-plastics. People that are avid fans of mussels are consuming up to 11,000 micro-plastics per year. Other studies have found micro-plastics in fish liver as well as canned fish. 

Sea salt is also a significant source of micro-plastics. One kilogram, so about 2.2 pounds can contain as much as 600 micro-plastics. 

But while much attention has been placed on micro-plastics in the oceans, far more micro-plastics come from other sources. Plenty of land animals eat micro-plastics. Cattle and chickens are perfect examples. Scientist have even found micro-plastics in beer and honey. But, the best known source of micro-plastics is bottled water. And it did not seem to matter whether that was water bottled in plastic or glass. Bottle water typically contains 28 to 241 micro-plastics per liter. There is also growing evidence that all the micro-plastics in our food actually comes from indoor dust. 

So while you may be consuming small numbers of micro-plastics from eating fish, you are consuming far more by simply drinking bottled water. 

Health Affects of Micro-plastics 

Since we literally live in a sea of micro-plastics, the next logical question is whether or not there are detrimental affects on our health. And yet with all this data, the one question that scientists have yet to answer about all the micro-plastics in our food is how much harm they actually do. 

In many respects, research on micro-plastics is so new that there is not enough evidence yet to make any sort of conclusion. 

But I tend to agree with Pete Myers who is the founder and chief scientist of a nonprofit organization called Environmental Health Sciences. Mr Myers says “There cannot be no effect.” 

To me the micro-plastics in our food is on the same level as the Environmental Protection Agency saying there are acceptable minimal levels of pesticides in our food. Mr Myers further says that it is likely that ingesting micro-plastics could further expose us to chemicals found in plastics that are known to be harmful.

These chemical have been linked to reproductive harm and  obesity. There is evidence in animals that these micro-plastics can cross the blood brain barrier. There is even evidence that mothers can pass micro-plastics through the placenta to the developing fetus. Some of the chemicals found in plastic have been linked to hormone interference, immune system impairment, hearing loss, and various types of cancer. 

In one pilot study micro-plastics were found in human stool samples as well as other organs. And while the health affects of such things are uncertain, organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reducing exposure to the chemicals found in plastics.

Okay, of all the articles I reviewed on this subject there were three underlying principles that I found: 

1. Plastics do contain chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic. This means they can potentially cause cancer and alter your very DNA. 
2. The potential human health affects are unknown as of yet. 
3. Studies are underway to determine safe levels of exposure given that micro-plastics are ubiquitous in the environment, meaning they are literally everywhere. 

So, given those three findings, allow me to pose a question. First take a minute and google the most common pesticides found in our food and the known health affects of those chemicals. What we are talking about is DDT, organophosphates, and other chemicals that can cause nerve damage, cancer, liver failure, reproductive failure and a plethora of other problems.  And let me just say that I have seen first hand the effects of acute exposure to such chemicals due to working in emergency medicine. 

Now remember these are the very chemicals that the Environmental Protection Agency states that it is okay for them to be in our food as long as it is at a specific  “acceptable level”.  

Equipped with this knowledge, what would you do if the next time you went to the supermarket to purchase fresh meat and vegetables, all of these products had red warning labels proclaiming that “According to the EPA these products contain DDT, organophosphates and other chemicals known to have the following harmful side affects: and then they listed all the things I mentioned above. 

Would you then load up your shopping cart with all that fresh meat and vegetables.  

That said, while scientists and various government and private research agencies are conducting studies to determine “acceptable levels” of micro-plastics in our bodies, we are continuing to consume plastics that contain numerous chemicals with potential serious detrimental health affects.  

Meanwhile,  just by breathing, eating, and drinking, we are ingesting about 74,000 micro-plastics yearly.

How to Avoid Your Exposure

So, all this begs the question of how to avoid and/or minimize your exposure to micro-plastics. 

First of all, it is likely impossible to completely avoid exposure to micro-plastics. This is due to the fact that there is so much plastic in the environment. However, there are a number of things you can do to limit your exposure. 

1. Don’t heat food in plastic. When you microwave your food in plastic, it can cause increased leaching of chemicals into your food. 
2. Avoid plastics with known issues. In particular recycling codes “3”, “6” and “7” are known to contain harmful chemicals
3. Do not store food in plastic containers. Opt for glass instead.  Additionally, look for food products that stored and marketed in glass instead of plastic. Remember that glass is one of the all time best products because it can be recycled over and over again. 
4. Eat more fresh foods. These types of foods tend to not be wrapped in plastic and are going to contain lower levels of micro-plastics.
5. Minimize household dust. Cleaning and vacuuming regularly can greatly reduce your inhalation of micro-plastics. 
6. Drink tap water. Bottled water is one of the biggest ways that we ingest micro-plastics. So drink tap water instead. I do have to tell you that this is one of my biggest pet peeves. At home, we actually take raw stream water and put it into a gravity fed purification system and produce drinking water for less than 2 1/2 cents per gallon. I cringe every time I do into the super market and see people stacking their shopping cart high with cases of bottled water. It is such a tremendous waste. But, if you want to know more about this topic then listen to E10 which is called A Bottle of Deception. 
7. Look at the big picture. You know I am going to have to think hard on this one because I am unsure if in our present world we would ever be able to completely avoid plastics. But, if you really look at the big picture, be creative and avoid plastics as much as possible. 

Summary

At this point I want to do a very quick over view and recap of this episode.

-Since the 1950’s we have produced about 8.3 billion tons of plastic. Only 10% of that plastic has ever been recycled. Consequently it is still in the environment. 

-As plastic degrades, it eventually breaks down into tiny little particles called micro-plastics. 

-Micro-plastics are ubiquitous in the environment, meaning they are everywhere and essentially unavoidable. They have been found even at the deepest and highest places in the world from the Mariana Trench to the top of Mount Everest. 

-Just by living your everyday life you are inhaling and ingesting micro-plastics. 

-Plastics are know to contain harmful chemicals. While there are no definitive conclusions on the health affects of micro-plastics in our bodies, it is better to be proactive and avoid them as much as possible. 

-You can reduce your exposure simply by not heating food in plastic containers, avoiding plastics with known issues, store food in glass containers instead of plastic. 

-Eat more fresh foods.

-Minimize household dust

-Make attempts to alter your lifestyle and avoid plastics as much as possible. 

So that about wraps it up for this week folks. In the transcript of this episode I do have links to a number of different articles that will provide you a lot of further reading. I would encourage you to do some research on your own so that you can make informed decisions about your life and your health. 

There is absolutely no doubt that human activity has triggered a vast cascade of environmental problems.  And those problems now threaten the ability of both natural and human systems to thrive and flourish. Solving all of the problems of climate change, global warming, water scarcity, pollution, and loss of biodiversity are going to be the biggest challenges of the 21st century. 

This all may sound scary, but you can make a huge difference by incorporating sustainability into your daily life. Preventing a single piece of trash from making it to the landfill is not going to save the planet. But a lifetime of sustainable habits will.  

Now if you have enjoyed this episode then please take the time to leave me with a review. And please subscribe to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast as well as my companion blog Off Grid Living News. 

I truly hope you have enjoyed this episode. Producing this episode was very informative even for me.  And I hope that from now on when you are driving to work you will think of this: When the rubber meets to road, where does it go? Well, you just may be eating it. 

This if your host Patrick signing off until next week. Until then, always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.

Resources and References

Washington Post: You Are Literally Eating Micro-plastics  

National Geographic: Microplastics 

Marine Litter Solutions: micro-plastics

Britannica: Micro-plastics

National Ocean Science: What Are Micro-plastics? 

Micro-plastics Are a Big and Growing Part of Global Pollution

We Are Ingesting Micro-plastics at Home, And These May Be Toxic to Your Health

How to Avoid Toxic Chemicals in Plastic

Toxicity Alert: Know the 7 Types of Plastics and Which are the MOST Dangerous

You’re Eating Micro-plastics in Ways You Don’t Even Realize

National Geographic: Tires: the plastic polluter you never thought about.