This Monday, 15 September, we didn’t spend the day sitting in the office as usual. Instead, we attended an educational session that permanently changed the way we look at shower gel. And shampoo. And exfoliating scrubs. And all those little cosmetic wonders we use every day without even realizing that, by using them, we are depositing microplastics directly into our sea and our bodies!
At the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology in Split, Assistant Professor Ivana Carev, PhD, delivered a lecture entitled “Microplastics and Cosmetics: Invisible Pollutants in Our Sea.” The educational session was organised as part of the project Let’s Sail Through STEM Waters – A Ticket to 2030. If this topic seems like something you would skip because “it’s nothing new,” think again. Because although microplastics are small, the message of this educational session was enormous.
What exactly are microplastics?
Dr Carev explained that microplastics are any pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres. They come in various forms, from tiny beads intentionally added to exfoliating products to fibres from synthetic clothing that end up in the water every time we do our laundry. Together, we analysed the ingredients of our favourite cosmetic products and, unsurprisingly, found microplastics in most of them.
What do microplastics do to our sea and to us?
No, microplastics do not “break down over time.” They end up in seas and oceans, where marine animals often mistake them for food. Through bioaccumulation, the process by which microplastics and the toxins they bind accumulate in organisms, they move all the way up the food chain. And guess who’s at the top? That’s right, us.
Imagine this: every week, the average person consumes an amount of plastic equivalent to the size of a credit card. Yes, you read that correctly, a polyethylene Mastercard served through water, salt, fish, and even the air we breathe. Microplastics have become our uninvited companion, having been found in human blood, lungs, and even in the placentas of newborn babies.
We still do not know exactly what long-term health effects they have (because, after all, who is willing to admit that chewing plastic is their hobby?), but scientists suspect they may cause inflammation, hormonal disorders, cancer, and other problems that most of us would not put on our list of life goals. In short, we have not become robots, but we are slowly becoming people with a plastic addition. Literally.
Role-playing exercise: Plastic on trial
During the most entertaining part of the educational session, we split into groups: cosmetic manufacturers defending the use of microplastics, activists calling for their ban, and concerned consumers asking difficult questions. Arguments flew in every direction, from “without microplastics, an exfoliating scrub just isn’t good enough” to “I prefer my fish with potatoes, not with a side of PVC.” There was laughter and frustration alike, but we all realised that this is not a black-and-white issue, and that solutions do exist.
The conclusion of the educational session was that change starts with us. We can choose products that do not contain microplastics (tip: look for labels such as “microplastic-free,” or read ingredient lists and avoid words such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon…). We can replace plastic toothbrushes with wooden ones, use solid soap instead of soap in plastic bottles, and think twice before buying something simply because “it smells nice.”
What can we do?
We need to encourage the major players, manufacturers and policymakers to make concrete changes. Responsibility does not rest solely with us as individuals. If you think you are too small to make a difference, remember that microplastics themselves are proof that something very, very small can create an enormous mess.
You can also join the project Let’s Sail Through STEM Waters – A Ticket to 2030. The project aims to popularise science and make STEM more accessible to everyone: from teachers to volunteers, from students to activists. Because science does not exist only in laboratories, but also in every glass of water, every piece of waste, and every decision we make.
By scanning the QR code, you can access the workshop registration form. Complete the application, and our team will contact you with additional information.
The project is led by the Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce, Split. The project partners are: the “Krka” Ecological Association Knin, the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Association of Chemical Engineers and Technologists Split, and two primary schools—Domovinske zahvalnosti Primary School and DOBRI Primary School.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), under the Effective Human Resources 2021–2027 programme, and is co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.