Page - 230 - in Freshwater Microplastics - Emerging Environmental Contaminants?

TheGermanFederal Institute forRiskAssessment (BfR),whichdealswith risks to humanhealth, publisheda statement sayingon theonehand that they couldnot detect microplastics in honey and beer in their laboratory studies. On the other hand, they stated that thehealth riskposedbymicroplastic-contaminated foodand beverages cannot be assessed, due to the lack of reliable data and analytical methods [54]. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) started taking first steps toward a future assessment of the potential risks to consumers from microplastics and nanoplastics in food, especially seafood. Uncertainty exists, first, about the scope and quality of the contamination and, second, about the negative health effects for the public. Themedia reports led to a raised public awareness of health risks, but the risk management authorities couldnot clear up the concerns, becausedespite that their studies hadnot verified the claimofmicroplastics in honey andbeer, the question remains, ifnegativeeffects forhumanhealthexist.This feelingof insecurity isalso reflected in the consumer survey by the BfR [55], which shows that 63% of the respondents had heard about “microplastics in food” and 52%answered that they were “concerned aboutmicroplastics in food”.This case shows that there are only single observations ofmicroplastics in food for humanconsumption andno scien- tific evidence for negative effects for human health exists. No general statement about risk for humanhealth canbemade; nevertheless, people areworried since a hypothetical risk has been communicated. Thus, due to the communication about thehypothetical risk, it becomes symbolically relevant in thefirst place, anda risk forhumanhealth isconstructed.Therefore, riskcommunication isavery important aspect of riskmanagement,with regard to the perception and psychological reac- tionsofpeoplewhofeel theyareatrisk.Toreducethesocialamplificationofrisk, it is important for laypersons that experts address risks and contextualize them in relations to other risks. Research on risk perception has pointed out that public opinion is steered by media reports scandalizing or exaggerating minor risks, leading to the spending of money to reduce them, while other major risks that failed to attract public attention are insufficiently considered [56, 57]. Riskman- agers should be sensitive to this and not becomemisguided bymedia and public concerns. 5 RiskDecision-Making:FromComplex toStructured Problems IntheUSAinDecember2015,PresidentObamasignedtheMicrobead-FreeWaters Act, banning microbeads from rinse-off cosmetics—a success for microplastic opponents and environmentalists. What led to the quick decision to ban them, despite thecomplexityof the topic,which impedes riskassessment?Aprerequisite for policy decisions is the degree of “consensus on the questions policy is addressing,” aswell as “certainty about the relevant knowledge” [58]. The degree 230 J.KrammandC.V€olker