Micro and nanoplastics

Microplastics are pieces of broken down plastic less than 5mm.  Nanoplastics are smaller than 1 micrometer. They have been found in water and foods that we eat, in the air we breath.  They are everywhere.  Microplastics have been found in the human placenta, testicles, penis, heart, gut, liver – really everywhere.   It is predicted that we will have double the amount of microplastics in our bodies by 2040.  Microplastics accumulate in our bodies and the location and amount of these plastics is ‘markedly correlated with corresponding lesions and diseases’.  Inflammatory bowel disease, cervical cancer, DNA damage and changes in gene activity that are a risk factor tied to cancer are just some of the current concerns with microplastic contamination.  There is great concern that microplastic cross the blood brain and gut brain barriers to drive the progression of neurodegenerative disease[1].

This image shows the level of microplastics found in many different areas of the body. 

What can you do to reduce risk

• Have a countertop reverse osmosis unit with remineralisation for the water you drink.  This will remove most microplastics. [2]
• Do not microwave/ cook in plastic.
• Fill your own metal/ ceramic/ glass water bottle to avoid using plastic bottles.  Plastic water bottles have approximately 240,000 particles of microplastic per litre of water.  Water and soft drinks bottles are very often PET plastic which is also a risk for exposure to phthalates – a hormone disrupting chemical.  Plastic water bottles that have been left in a hot car are particularly prone to leaching chemicals into the water.
• Buy milk in glass bottles
• Avoid hot drinks in disposable cups.  They have a plastic film lining the paper.
• Wrap food in greaseproof paper or paper bags, and then cling film if you do need to use cling film.  Avoid the film touching the food.  Make sure the greaseproof paper has no PFAS/ PFOS chemicals – these are forever chemicals that contain many fluoride atoms in each molecule, and are very persistent in the body.

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[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165993624005971

[2] https://avoidmicroplastics.com/ro-remove-microplastics/