According to a study, microplastics are moving up the food chain into both plants and animals.

Microplastics are easily moving up the food chain through both plants and animals, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland.

According to the study, plants absorb manmade pollutants from the soil, and animals or insects that eat those greens consume large amounts of nanoplastics.

The main cause of plastic particles smaller than one micrometre is the weathering down of larger plastic pieces by natural processes.

Lead researcher Fazel Monikh claims that the study’s findings demonstrate how microplastics may readily move up the food chain when they are fed to lettuce, which in turn feeds black soldier fly larvae, which are then consumed by roach fish who are famished.

Because these particles are challenging to identify and can undergo changes along their physiological trips, researchers enclosed the rare element gadolinium within the small polymers to facilitate tracking.

The scientists utilised a scanning electron microscope to make sure that the plastic completely encased the metal (SEM).

Biomagnification is the process by which chemicals absorbed at lower trophic levels become more concentrated as they ascend up the food chain. It is brought on by pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury.