5.4.3 Human health implications
The
impacts of micro- and specifically very smallmicroplastics (i.e. nanoplastics – particles <1000 nm inat least one of its dimensions) on
human health are notwell documented (Eerkes-Medrano et al. 2015) and ourknowledge about the fate and toxicity of plastic particles for
humans is unknown (Van Cauwenberghe andJanssen 2014; Bouwmeester et al. 2015; GESAMP 2015).In relation to food safety, the
possible impacts of microplastic on human health will rely on dietary exposurevia contaminated marine foodstuffs. In general three
possible effects of plastic particles can be recognized:1) particle toxicity caused by the very small (nano-sizeand lower micro-size range) plastic particles themselves due to interaction with external tissues and cellsor after translocation into tissues and cells; 2) chemicaltoxicity due to the leaching of additives added to themicroplastics during manufacturing or the release ofpollutants that have accumulated onto the plastics innature and 3) disease risks due to microbial contamination of microplastics.
In theory, cumulative effects canoccur through particle and chemical toxicity after theparticles have been internalized in tissues or chemicalmixture toxicity effects (see Chapter 4).