Consuming Plastic In Indonesia, Malaysia & Philippines: What Microplastics Are Doing To Us | Insight

#waste #news #environmentalprotection #recycling

Southeast Asia has a huge problem with something tiny - Microplastics. Globally, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia ingest the most microplastics. These particles, created from the breakdown of plastics, make their way into our water and food sources.

For some time, the effects of ingesting microplastics were unclear. But now, an increasing number of studies reveal that microplastics could be linked to kidney failure, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Yet, because of the handling of waste in Southeast Asia, microplastic contamination is ubiquitous. Is Southeast Asia looking at a plastic induced health crisis, and what can we do about it?

00:00 Poisoned by microplastics
01:03 Examining fish under a microscope
02:28 Why Southeast Asia consumes so much microplastic
04:29 Where do microplastics come from?
06:33 From micro to nanoplastics
09:23 How microplastics end up in our food
11:04 Breathing in microplastics
12:08 Living among plastic waste in "Happyland"
14:30 What happens when we ingest microplastics
16:38 Health risks of ingesting microplastics
18:52 Exposed to microplastics before birth
20:24 What could happen to children exposed to microplastics
22:57 How much plastic do we produce?
24:08 Single-use sachets poisoning Southeast Asia
27:27 Problem with our culture of waste disposal
30:41 Where trash in the river piles up
32:03 How landfills leach microplastics
35:21 Banning single-use plastic and plastic imports
38:18 Quezon City's "Trash to Cash" recycling programme
42:00 Indonesia holds plastic producers responsible
43:46 What can we really do about microplastics?

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