Microplastics are everywhere and we need to know the impacts of these tiny plastic particles. These tiny particles are in our water, our food, in the air, in the soil, in the plants. Everywhere is anywhere and anywhere is everywhere.
What are microplastics? Broken down plastic objects and items that are randomly discarded or disposed of in approved manner. The plastic particles are less than 5 millimeters requiring a microscope to view the particles. Even smaller particles are referred to as nanoplastics.
Because the globe is so ensconced in the use of plastics domestically, in industry, medical equipment and applications, industrial usage, and even in agricultural activities such as crop grain and fruit and vegetable harvesting. These microplastics are everywhere. Not only are the plastics impregnated in our environment, they are a real threat to animals and humans, even to the point of threatening respiratory and cardiovascular health issues. At the other end of the human activity spectrum, plant production and food sources are also impacted at the photosynthetic cell level.
Food production is already in the news highlights because of ever-increasing population growth trends resulting in food security concerns and issues. Not to mention the impact from the changing weather systems that are drastically affecting production capacity and add to the stress of global food security.
Now, it is coming to light that the fundamental process of photosynthesis and the rate of this critical and vital process in natural food production across the global is being impacted. The photosynthesis rates are being reduced due to microplastics present in plant structures.
In a recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2025, it has been revealed that microplastics are a direct threat to global food security. The threat by microplastic particle pollution is at the photosynthetic level in plant production. There is a significant reduction in photosynthesis in three significant food production arenas, namely in terrestrial plants and in algae in both fresh water and marine environments.
The global reduction in photosynthesis capacity is estimated between 7-12% due to the presence on microplastics in the plant materials. This in turn impacts the annual plant crop and seafood production capacity in million metric tons (MT). Crop production is estimated to currently have an annual loss of between 110-360 MT while seafood production could have a loss of between 1-24 MT.
This highlights the urgency for adoption of more aggressive microplastic mitigation strategies. As well as building these factors into global food security predictions and planning schemes. More extensive investigation into how these microplastic components is entering the food chain systems at a most fundamental level is an area to monitor with both urgency and great concern.
In the meanwhile, individuals need to more proactive in monitoring their personal usage of plastics with regards to food storage and water filtering systems in the home. For the latter, it might be preferable to revert back to carbon-based filtration systems, and certainly to move to non-synthetic systems.
Our environmental issues are everyone’s concern. It needs participation in monitoring and adopting new technology in all possible areas of concern in order to manage these invasive threats to our global survival.
