Plastics are contaminating our bodies
Microplastics are everywhere, having been found everywhere from the deepest parts of the ocean to the Arctic and in everything from shellfish to beer. Now research has found that microplastics and nanoplastics are now contaminating fruits and vegetables as they grow.
Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic less than 5mm, and nanoplastics, small enough to cross membranes between cells, are increasingly infiltrating our bodies. Whether it’s tiny particles of your plastic water bottle shedding and being drunk or microbeads used in cosmetics such as body exfoliants making their way inside you (thankfully banned in NZ since 2018), or even just breathing them in, odds are you’re contaminated.
Scientists have found microplastics in human blood in almost 80% of people they tested. Microplastics have been found in human tissues, including the lungs. Microplastics have been found in the faeces of babies and adults, with one study showing babies fed from plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day and have higher microplastic concentrations in their stool than adults. Research has found microplastics present in both the maternal and foetal sides of the placenta and the particles were small enough to be carried in the bloodstream.
The impact on health is not yet known, but concerning findings from other studies show microplastics can damage human cells. Studies on mice have found that lab exposure to microplastics can disrupt the gut microbiome, lead to inflammation, lower sperm quality and testosterone levels, and negatively affect learning and memory.
Plastics contain a range of dangerous pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) – manmade chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer in animals. Some chemicals in plastics like Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates have been found to disrupt the endocrine system and the hormones that regulate human growth and development.
Toxic Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or ‘forever chemicals’ as they’re sometimes dubbed, have been found in many of the world’s plastic containers and bottles, raising concerns they’re leaking into foods, drinks, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and more. Why are they considered ‘forever chemicals’? Because they do not naturally break down, can accumulate in humans and have been linked to cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid disease, falling sperm counts, kidney disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems.
PFAS levels in water that was left in a fluorinated container for a year measured at a startling 188,000 parts per trillion (ppt). For context, some states allow as little as 5ppt in drinking water, while public health advocates say anything above 1ppt is dangerous.
Some tips for reducing your exposure to microplastics include: wearing clothes made of natural fibres such as cotton and linen; reducing your use of single-use plastics (think things like buying a reusable water bottle, using tea leaves instead of tea bags, choosing products packaged in glass or cardboard over those in plastic); avoid microwaving your food in plastic – even when it says “microwave safe”; regularly dust and vacuum.