Opinion | There’s a way to end plastic pollution. Does the Hong Kong government have the will though?
- Around the world, countries’ bans on microbeads have triggered companies to remove polluting particles from products. Hong Kong must deploy effective measures against microplastics, given the potential threat they pose to public health
Research published earlier this month in the journal Environmental Pollution discovered that all mussel samples bought from supermarkets, from aquaculture farms and wild-caught from almost all waters, including the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the South China Sea, contain microplastics.
Various overseas and local studies conducted in recent years have confirmed the presence of microplastics in drinking water (tap and bottled), beer, salt, honey, fish, fruits and vegetables, placentas of unborn babies, human stools, oceans, beaches and in the air. So, with the prevalence of such potential public health hazards, it is irresponsible of governments and businesses to turn a blind eye to the issue.
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Health experts cannot as yet prove exactly what the health impacts may be of long-term ingestion or inhalation of microplastics. But they anticipate that further studies will show some serious health issues the whole world must address.