“We can’t see them, but we are eating them, breathing them, and drinking them.” — Dr. Tracey Woodruff
Plastic has become so woven into our daily lives that most of us don’t give it a second thought.
The problem is that as plastic breaks down, it forms microscopic particles known as microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs). Researchers are now finding these particles virtually everywhere they look- in our oceans, drinking water, soil, food supply, and even inside the human body.
Some estimates suggest the average person may ingest the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic every week.
That’s enough to get my attention.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Nanoplastics are even smaller, less than one micrometer, and because of their size, they may be able to cross biological barriers and enter tissues throughout the body.
Many of these particles contain chemicals you may already recognize, including BPA, phthalates, and PFAS (“forever chemicals”), which have been studied for their potential effects on hormone health.
They come from things like:
Plastic food packaging
Disposable water bottles
Synthetic clothing fibers
Food storage containers
Household dust
Industrial packaging
Where are they showing up?
Recent peer-reviewed studies have detected microplastics in:
Human blood
Lung tissue
Placentas
Liver tissue
Testicular tissue
Brain tissue
Atherosclerotic plaque from carotid arteries
The question scientists are trying to answer now is:
What does the research say now?
What is the biological cost of that exposure over decades?
This is where it’s important to separate what we know from what we’re still learning.
A large systematic review from UCSF found moderate to high-quality evidence suggesting that microplastic exposure may negatively affect reproductive health, digestive health, and respiratory health. Laboratory studies also show that microplastics can trigger inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and immune responses.
Chronic inflammation can gradually impact muscle quality, metabolic health, cardiovascular function, hormone regulation, and healthy aging.
At the same time, critics are careful to point out that we cannot yet prove microplastics directly cause diseases like heart disease or cancer in humans. People with greater plastic exposure often have other lifestyle factors like consuming more ultra-processed foods, exercising less, or smoking, that also increase disease risk.
That’s an important distinction.
However, one 2024 study followed patients undergoing carotid artery surgery and found that individuals whose arterial plaque contained microplastics had a significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death during nearly three years of follow-up compared to those without detectable particles. Read the full study here.
This study does not prove microplastics caused those outcomes, but it certainly raises important questions that deserve further investigation.
Should we be worried?
I don’t think this is something we should panic over.
If you’re smoking, drinking heavily, sleeping five hours a night, never exercising, and living on fast food…those are still the biggest factors to tackle.
But if you’ve already built a solid foundation of healthy habits: you are strength training, eating mostly whole foods, prioritizing sleep, and taking care of your mental health, then reducing unnecessary plastic exposure is another way to stack the odds in your favor.
Easy ways to reduce your exposure
You don’t need to throw out everything you own overnight. Gradually make these changes over time.
Start with a few simple swaps:
Don’t microwave food in plastic containers.
Let hot food cool before storing it in plastic.
Transfer takeout into glass, ceramic, or stainless steel when you get home.
Choose glass or stainless-steel water bottles and food containers.
Replace disposable sandwich bags with reusable silicone bags.
Buy less food packaged in plastic whenever possible. Seek out companies that use glass, paper or aluminum packaging instead.
Wash produce and remove plastic packaging as soon as you get home.
Use HEPA air filters in the rooms where you spend the most time.
Consider a reverse osmosis water filtration system. I have Cloud in my house.
Look for EPA Safer Choice cleaning products when possible.
Replace plastic household items with glass, stainless steel, ceramic, or silicone as they wear out instead of all at once.
Replace Teflon or nonstick pans with stainless steel, ceramic, or cast-iron pans.
The Bigger Picture
History has taught us that we often don’t recognize the full consequences of widespread environmental exposures until decades later. Remember lead paint, asbestos, and trans fats?
I’m not saying plastics are on the same path. But I do think we’re at a pivotal point. What science is discovering about MNPs deserves our attention.
Reducing plastic use isn’t just good for the environment. It may also be an investment in our long-term health and the health of future generations.
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