why are people more concerned about microplastics than regular plastic, doesn’t regular plastic also break down into smaller and smaller pieces?

Question

Like when people are worried about the microplastics in toothpaste, but not the plastic tube it comes in. Isn’t that tube going to break down into way more microplastics than the toothpaste itself contains?

In: Other

Answer 1

The tube is more or less stable while it’s in use. Plastics usually deteriorate and degrade into microplastics after being exposed to the elements for some time, like lying around in a landfill or floating in the ocean. Those microplastics then enter the food chain and work their way up into our bodies through food.