Maybe you've heard about or read recent studies about where all those plastic water bottles are that we've all sworn off at some point they are finally running out. Or maybe you've come across that cute little one in your Facebook feed, the cheerful yet informative illustrated short detailing the various life cycles of 3 "single use" water bottles. And perhaps at this point you're curious about the potential dangers of ingesting foods, primarily aquatic, that may contain some level of these "microplastics" you've heard about. Is there any reason to worry? The jury is still out, but the evidence points to a serious need to address our prolific use of the ubiquitous man-made “miracle” material and what it means for us humans to ingest this offensive substance. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay So, what's the story in a nutshell and how does microplastic end up on your plate? The short answer starts with a simple fact: plastic never biodegrades. Never. It breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces known as microplastics. These tiny pieces of plastic, ranging in size from 5 mm up to 10 nanometres, then attract microorganisms. These microorganisms use them as floating barges to grow on. This and the resulting leaching of chemicals contained in the plastic over time and continued exposure to UV rays (chemicals we use for the desirable characteristics they then create within the polymers: flame retardant properties, antimicrobial properties, etc.) to Sometimes they give off a smell which then leads smaller animals to consider it food. Small animals are eaten by larger animals. It travels up and down the food chain until it makes its way, in one form or another, onto our plates and into our bodies. But did you know that consuming contaminated seafood isn't the only way we ingest plastic? Plastic microparticles are making their way into ours too. These fibers are too small to effectively filter our wastewater and come straight out of the tap and into our bodies on a cellular level. A quick Google search of the long-term effects of exposure to chemicals in plastic shows that they are linked to ailments such as hormonal disorders, genital deformities, reduced fertility and even cancer. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay To this end and with so many varying touchpoints, it is difficult to ultimately assess at what level exposure to and consumption of plastic and the chemicals it contains produce these and many other harmful side effects for the man. Regardless, there is enough evidence out there to hopefully start to create pause in our minds. Have we gone too deep into our dependence on this miracle of modern science with this product that we have come to know and use so frequently, which has made daily life even more convenient and friendly for so many of us? A product capable of acting indiscriminately as it would ?