I’m sorry to report that you, the reader, are in danger. Your life is at stake this very moment. I do have some good news however, and that is that you can change this, but it’s up to you-and only the rest of the world.

Regardless of if you’re a seafood lover or not, you’ll want to hear this. Scientists have found microplastics in 114 aquatic species, and more than half of these contaminated animals end up on our dinner plates. In addition to this, chemicals in the water affect our water supplies and alter the food chains of marine life. By putting marine life under fire with our careless disposal practices and amounts of land run-off containing pesticides, we are also hurting ourselves. Let’s break it down and take a closer look into how pollution enters the ocean, turns into microplastics, and affects our health.

The Causes

The first culprit is sewage. Sewage and other chemicals often flow directly into the ocean through drainage systems, which leads to a reduction in oxygen levels in the ocean. Marine plants and animals then suffer and die off. This is problematic for us because oceanic plants are our best friends-they create 70 percent of the air we breathe!

Secondly, industrial and agricultural waste is to blame. Industrial and agricultural waste can flow directly into the ocean as well because there are not enough regulations and mindful processes put in place to monitor the output levels of these pesticides. These chemicals and pesticides consist of mercury, phosphates, nitrates, lead, oils, asbestos, and petrochemicals.

Lastly, littering is a source of pollution, but it is not always as straightforward as someone throwing their water bottle in the sea. Every year, 5 million to 14 tons of plastic flow from in-land sources and are manipulated by atmospheric conditions, such as wind, and can be blown across land into water. Once in the water, these plastics are broken down into microplastics and are distributed across the ocean, affecting all marine life.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than one-fifth of an inch. Waves, heat, sunlight, and wind work together to break down all the plastic into fine pieces that many animals mistake for food. Even worse, these little pieces are incredibly hard to see, making it more likely that smaller animals we eat like shrimp and shellfish have consumed these plastics and we will have no idea. In the end, hundreds of species of birds, turtles, and marine life are harmed since their food chains are incredibly interconnected.

Microplastics in the gut of a fish

Human Health

Speaking of everything being so interconnected, how did we think we would be able to take ourselves out of the equation? It’s no wonder our own habits are coming back to bite us. The presence of all these man-made pollutants puts us at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, hormonal problems, nervous system damage, kidney damage, and reproductive problems. Whether we consume seafood or not, we drink the water that flows underground in the aquifers and rivers that connect to ocean supplies. The presence of microplastics themselves contaminate the water. And guess what? Plastic takes 400 years to degrade in water. Yes, you heard me right! That means this problem isn’t going away anytime soon, and that our children and their children will be trying to solve this problem that we made.

Don’t worry, I’m not telling you to stop enjoying your sushi. Scientists report that most of the microplastics fish consume stay in the gut of the fish and do not move to the tissue of the fish, or the part that we regularly eat. While this is a relief, it’s still important that we take actionable steps towards respectfully and responsibly disposing of our waste products and land run-off. If this is not addressed, the amount of contaminated marine life will grow, and so will the amount of people affected by the above diseases and complications. The ocean is the Earth’s bloodline, so let’s keep our planet and ourselves alive.