By Joachim Ng
Microplastics, less than 5mm in diameter and mostly invisible to the naked eye, are now lodged deep in your body. Ingested through food, water, and breathing, they enter the bloodstream which transports them to various organs. Microplastics that are breathed in lodge in the nasal cavity and back of the throat, causing persistent coughing and leading to steady deterioration of the lungs and possibly onset of lung cancer.
There is a possible link between plastics in the colon and colon cancer which is the second largest cancer killer in Malaysia. Over the past eight years, there has been a dramatic increase in brain microplastic concentrations as they make a beeline for the brain ahead of other organs.
They contribute to the onset of dementia as brain samples from dementia cases show greater presence of plastic particles, especially polyethylene fragments, than normal brain samples. Evidence is mounting that, in addition to high intake of LDL (bad) cholesterol, microplastics lodged in the fatty deposits of your arteries may give you a heart attack or stroke. They have also been discovered in the liver and kidneys.
One study has claimed that an average person may be ingesting up to 5gm of microplastics a week. But the greater danger comes from nanoplastics which are smaller than 0.0001mm and cannot even be seen with an optical microscope. One bottle of drinking water that you buy off the shelf will contain as much as 240,000 million nanoparticles of plastic. Nanoparticles, just like microplastics, enter our bodies through food and breathing.
We noted in the previous article of this 2-part series that plastics inside our bodies come from three principal sources: food, garments, and traffic. We have described how microplastics and nanoplastics contaminate our foods and lace our garments. Today let’s talk about –
TRAFFIC POLLUTION:
Do you remember the landmark British case in 2020 when a coroner ruled that the death of a nine-year-old child, Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah, in London in 2013 was due to acute respiratory failure, severe asthma, and traffic emissions? The coroner said that “the whole of Ella’s life was lived in close proximity to highly polluted roads. I have no difficulty in concluding that her personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter was very high.”
After the ruling, the girl’s mother told newspapers that she wanted her daughter’s legacy to be a new Clean Air Act, adding: “I’m not just talking about the British Government – governments around the world should take this matter seriously.”
Not only did the Malaysian Government ignore her plea, it pursued the opposite course by ramming up petrol-fuelled vehicular usage to the point where Malaysia received a very infamous award: Kuala Lumpur got ranked among the world’s most congested cities and the worst in Southeast Asia for traffic jams (TomTom Traffic Index 2023).
A study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal recently found that lung cancer among non-smokers had risen steeply among people in Southeast Asia. Up to 70% of lung cancer cases are victims who have never smoked, and the key suspect is traffic pollution.
A recent analysis by the UN children’s agency found that more than 500 million children in the Western Pacific region breathe unhealthy air and the pollution is linked to the deaths of 100 children under five every day.
World Health Organisation data show that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants.
There are three major pollutants that come from petrol cars: particulate matter that can damage your lungs and get into your bloodstream; carbon monoxide that affects critical organs like your heart and brain; nitrogen dioxide that can affect the respiratory system. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, as much as 95 percent of all carbon monoxide emissions in cities may come from motor vehicle exhaust.
Emissions from petrol cars increase the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, leading to global warming. Each litre burnt creates 2.3kg of GHG, working out to 2 metric tonnes of GHG each year for a typical vehicle.
We can avoid traffic pollution by switching to electric vehicles. Motor distributors and dealers are ready for this big change as all car manufacturers are following Tesla’s breakthrough lead in producing their own EV brands. Proton is coming out soon with the e.MAS 7 and Perodua is rushing its eMO EV.
Before year-end, Honda will be launching the e-N1 battery electric vehicle that offers a driving range of up to 500km for daily usage practicality. So you can drive a Honda EV from Ipoh to Penang or Johor Baru without having to stop for recharging. You can get this superb environment-friendly car at Ban Hoe Seng Auto Sdn Bhd.
The switch must be implemented with greatest possible speed, as a study conducted by the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine on the health impact of traffic pollution found that every additional 20 electric cars per 1,000 persons reduced the number of severe respiratory ailments by 3.2%. The American Lung Association has reported that a switch from petrol to zero-emission vehicles will save 100,000 lives in the United States alone.
The solution for Ipoh lies in a two-pronged approach: steadily replacing petrol vehicles with electric vehicles, and putting more buses on the road.
Buses are a humble thing that Malaysia looks down on. Even the state-of-the-art, sleek, bus rapid transit fails to excite transport officials in Klang Valley, our country’s version of Lahore – a city in Pakistan where millions of residents breathe in the tiny PM2.5 particles at levels 20 times recommended by the World Health Organisation. More than 80% of Lahore’s carbon emissions are from petrol vehicles.
The electric-powered bus rapid transit vehicle runs on rubber wheels following a predetermined track. A 3-carriage bus travelling at 70kph carries up to 300 passengers, suitable for heavily congested Klang Valley while a single-carriage bus should be in the 10-year plan for Ipoh’s future transportation network.
So why isn’t Malaysia speeding up on buses and EVs? It’s because the Government prioritises the oil industry over public health. And yet it’s easy to serve both needs. Utilise oil to generate electricity instead of selling the bulk of it as petrol. Fuel pumps should become just a small section in every petrol station, while charging ports for EVs and hybrids should dominate. Waiting time? New battery versions can be fully recharged in less than 30 minutes.
Electric cars and motorcycles should replace all petrol vehicles by the end of 10 years, and even then you should drive just four days a week if bus transportation is fully developed with all roads covered. This reduces not only traffic congestion but also toxic pollution from microplastics that tyres and brakes release into the air.
Tyres are made principally from synthetic rubber which is derived from petroleum containing carcinogenic chemicals. As vehicles move, friction with the road causes tiny particles to be shed. These are called tyre wear particles, and they contain microplastics. Roads are often coated with materials that include polymers (plastic-like binders), and the grinding of tyres against roads can also release plastic-based particles.These particles can be picked up by wind and become airborne lodging in your bloodstream and lungs.
Brake pads also contain synthetic materials and contribute microplastics through abrasion.
When brakes are applied, tiny particles are released into the air and nearby environment. As cars may release up to 10 grams of microplastics per kilometre, they can be a far larger source of toxic pollution than plastic bags. Big win for EVs here: They use regenerative braking, which slows the car down by converting kinetic energy back into electricity. This means less reliance on traditional brake pads, so less brake dust and fewer microplastics are generated.
Drive only 4 days a week to reduce the lung, heart, and cancer diseases that you help inflict on society. For the other 3 days, use the bus.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Ipoh Echo
