| I have written about the dangers of Microplastics adverse effects on our health since 2003 in my book, It’s My Ovaries, Stupid! published by Scribner. Finally, this topic is getting more widespread attention as the MAHA movement takes root, propelled by the energy, passion and dedication of our new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Microplastics are found throughout the world, including the oceans, and as far away as remote islands, and polar regions, and are a major threat to ecosystems due to their direct and indirect potentials as environmental pollutants and toxic effects on human health.
Microplastics are generated when large synthetic polymer products, such as plastic packaging, are not properly disposed of or treated and then exposed to the environment, where they can decompose. Microplastics are generally considered to be a size ≤5 mm and can be classified as either primary or secondary. Primary microplastics are intentionally added to products and can be found in cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, detergents, and insecticides. Secondary microplastics are unintended by products of the degradation of larger plastic materials and can be found in plastic bottles, plastic bags, and plastic food containers.
Microplastics enter our bodies primarily from the foods we eat and liquids we drink including our water. Once ingested microplastics are absorbed through the intestines and can travel through the circulatory system to various organs to reek their havoc. High levels of microplastics can increase oxidative stress, produce inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis (cell death), cytotoxicity, and gene expression disturbances. No wonder microplastics are associated with these damaging effects in humans:
- Pulmonary diseases
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Inflammatory diseases
- Cancer
- Infectious diseases
- Pregnancy and maternal exposure to child
- Immunotoxicity
A 2025 study published in Nature Medicine found that microplastics are present in the human brain tissue and accumulation rates are rising at alarming levels. The researchers from the University of New Mexico found that the amount of microplastic fragments in the brain had increased about 50% over the last eight years.
Shockingly, microplastics from brain samples in 2024 were equivalent in weight to that of a plastic spoon!
Microplastics, primarily consisting of polyethylene, were also found in the liver, kidney. Other plastics that were detected included polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and styrene-butadiene rubber. Chronic exposure in mice demonstrated that microplastics can disrupt the blood-brain barrier, induce neuroinflammation, and cognitive deficits although the researchers indicated that causality was not established. Those at greatest risk were those with a documented dementia diagnosis and exhibited over five times higher microplastic concentrations than normal brain samples.
Another study also found that microplastics have also been linked to cancer, reproductive, digestive, and respiratory system disorders. The researchers concluded that microplastics are “suspected” to harm human reproductive, digestive, and respiratory health, with a suggested link to colon and lung cancer. A cardiac study found the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in 60% of the arterial plaque of cardiac patients and this presence was associated with a 4.5 fold increase in risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. As alarming as these findings are, projections for plastic pollution is expected to continue increasing rapidly at a pace to double every 10-15 years and thereby continuing our plastic exposure. |
