In Pakistan, the plastic crisis has now taken the form that is almost impossible to see, yet no less threatening: microplastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters have made their way into our rivers, food, air, and bodies.

Microplastics that were once viewed as a far-off danger come closer every day, finding their way into bottled water, freshwater fish, city soil, and even local air in places like Lahore and Karachi.

In Pakistan, however, there is currently no concrete policy to monitor, control, and minimize this increasing menace. Scientific concerns and increasing research going into microplastics have been avoided on a national and even provincial environmental agenda in Pakistan, making it a blind spot as an urgent public health concern.

Microplastics are the remnants of bigger plastic waste, such as bottles, bags, packaging, or deliberately produced particles found in cosmetic products, as well as industrial abrasives and synthetic materials. Such particles do not degrade into nature and can last for decades and are currently detected in the blood, lungs, placentas, and feces of humans across the globe. Pakistan is not an exception to this.

The extent of microplastic debris in the Ravi and........

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