The pandemic further intensified this issue. Disposable masks and gloves were essential for protecting public health, but from an environmental perspective they resulted in a surge of plastic pollution. These products were made from non-degradable plastic components, and most were neither sorted nor recycled. Each discarded mask or glove breaks down within months into hundreds of microplastic particles that disperse through water and air, creating long-term contamination.
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Professor Dr. Reda Kubiliūtė, Senior Researcher at the KU Marine Research Institute and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, emphasizes that scientists consider microplastics one of the major invisible environmental crises of the 21st century. “Lithuania is no exception in this context. On the contrary—due to its geographical position, the characteristics of its water systems, and its consumption habits, it is becoming a particularly sensitive zone for microplastic accumulation. The Curonian Lagoon has long been considered one of Lithuania’s most vulnerable ecosystems, yet new findings by Klaipeda University researchers show that ongoing environmental processes are even more complex than previously thought,” the researcher notes. While implementing a European project, Klaipeda University scientists analyzed the pathways of microplastics into the Curonian Lagoon, their movement, and their ability to accumulate hazardous substances. Plastic samples collected along the lagoon’s coastal zone revealed more than 30 different chemical elements, including lead, cadmium, copper, and nickel. Project data suggest that heavy metals attached to the surface of plastic particles become more accessible to aquatic organisms. |
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“At the ecosystem level, microplastics act through several mechanisms. First, aquatic organisms ingest them, mistaking them for food. Fish, mollusks, and invertebrates lack a mechanism to distinguish real food from plastic, so microplastics can accumulate in their digestive systems, block the gut, reduce nutrient absorption, and cause a feeling of hunger even when the stomach appears full. Once in the intestine together with other substances, microplastics can damage the microbiota and disrupt physiological processes. Second, pollutants accumulated on the surface of microplastics can be released inside the organism—particularly in the more acidic environment of the stomach—and enter the bloodstream,” explains Prof. Dr. R. Kubiliūtė.
Additives present in microplastics—stabilizers, pigments, and plasticizers—can also migrate into the environment. Some of these compounds enter living organisms and act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Such mixtures of pollutants enter food chains and harm not only fish populations but also products consumed by humans.
Although the long-term effects of microplastics are not yet fully understood, it is already known that they pose risks to human health. People can ingest or inhale microplastics, which have been detected in blood, various tissues, and even the placenta. Inhaled particles can cause inflammation, irritate the respiratory system, and once in the bloodstream, migrate to different tissues. Because microplastic particles vary widely, some cause mechanical damage while others may act chemically. For this reason, Klaipeda University researchers plan to conduct long-term studies to determine how such particles affect the immune system, metabolism, and even cellular DNA.
