...radioactive. This may be a major mechanistic driver of evolution, along with kinetic chemical and biochemical effects.
Potassium is an essential element in all living things, and it has always been radioactive. 40K has a half life of 1.227 billion years.
As for micro and nano plastics, they are new, but probably, if not likely, to be similar to soot in their biological effects; it's not yet understood. It's not pretty.
Uranium, of course, exists, with all of its decay daughters in its decay series. Human activities, mining - fossil fuel mining is a major source of radioactivity releases; there are flow back water ponds in Pennsylvania that are more radioactive than the seas outside of the big bogeyman at Fukushima, because of the release of 226Ra. Of course uranium mining and refining also releases daughter isotopes.
It is probably the case that life expectancy, which has risen dramatically over the recent centuries, will begin a decline because of these environmental effects, the most serious of which may - probably is - extreme global heating. We may already be seeing that.
Individual lives will be - are - affected, but life itself is amazing, if nothing else, for its adaptability. Living things will adapt. There already are microorganisms that can metabolize some plastics.
I hope this helps with any anxiety.
None of this means we should not do everything to slow, even arrest, dramatic changes to our environment. We're playing a very dangerous game where humanity is concerned.
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