Life is literally full of plastic, and that’s not a good thing.

From your food to your water, plastic is everywhere.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen those scary headlines about how we’re all ingesting a credit card’s worth of plastic each week. Or that there’s plastic in our blood. Or that it’s messing with our hormones.

But is it really that bad? And what can we actually do about it?

Microplastics: What You Need to Know (Without the Panic)

Let me break down what microplastics are, where they come from, and what the science actually says about their effects on our health. And yes, I’ll give you some practical tips on what you can actually do about it.

What the heck are microplastics anyway?

Microplastics are exactly what they sound like – tiny pieces of plastic smaller than 5mm. We’re talking super small particles that you can’t see with the naked eye.

These little plastic bits come from:

1. Breakdown of larger plastics – That water bottle you tossed? It’s slowly degrading into thousands of microplastic particles
2. Car tire wear – Apparently one of the biggest sources of microplastics in the air
3. Synthetic clothing – Your polyester yoga pants release microplastics every time you wash them
4. Plastic food containers – Especially when heated (more on that in a second)

Research has found microplastics literally everywhere – from the deepest ocean trenches to the highest mountain peaks. And yes, they’re inside your body too.

One study from the University of New Mexico found that the average adult human brain has 5-10g of plastic in it. That’s about the size of a plastic spoon.

Scientists have also found microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, breast milk, and yes… testicles. Literally every part of our bodies.

So what does the science actually say?

Here’s where it gets interesting. While we know microplastics are inside us, the research on how they affect human health is still developing.

Let’s look at what we know so far:

Animal Studies

• Brain effects: In one study, mice that drank water with microplastics for three weeks showed symptoms similar to dementia. The plastic particles crossed their blood-brain barrier (which is concerning).
• Reproductive health: Mice exposed to microplastics for 28 days had decreased sperm quality, lower testosterone, and inflammation in their testes.
• Immune system: When immune cells swallow microplastic particles, they change how they use energy and release inflammatory chemicals.

Human Studies

Honestly, most human studies just confirm microplastics are in our bodies without proving they cause harm at current levels.

But there are some concerning findings:

• A 2024 study found that heart disease patients with microplastics in their arteries were twice as likely to suffer heart attacks or strokes
• Workers in plastic factories develop respiratory diseases at much higher rates than the general population

The problem is that we don’t have clear evidence of harm at the levels most of us are exposed to. We also don’t fully understand the long-term effects of having plastic in our bodies for decades.

The scarier stuff: Plastic additives

While the jury’s still out on microplastics themselves, the chemicals added to plastics are definitely concerning.

Here’s the thing: “BPA-free” is basically meaningless.

When companies remove BPA (Bisphenol A), they typically replace it with BPS (Bisphenol S), which is equally toxic. Professor Joseph Allen from Harvard calls this “chemical whack-a-mole.”

These plastic additives like BPA, BPS, and phthalates are known endocrine disruptors, meaning they mess with your hormones. Studies have linked them to:

• Brain development issues in children
• Reproductive problems
• Obesity and diabetes
• Immune system suppression
• Increased cancer risk

One study had people eat canned soup for five days, which led to significantly higher BPA levels in their urine and measurable changes in their hormone levels.

Are microplastics our biggest health problem?

Let’s get some perspective here.

While plastic in our bodies isn’t making us healthier, there are bigger, proven health threats we face:

• Heart disease claims one in three Americans (90% preventable with lifestyle changes)
• Air pollution contributes to 4.2 million premature deaths yearly
• Two-thirds of Americans are diabetic or prediabetic

Even when it comes to plastic specifically, there are more pressing issues:

• We produce over 300 million tons of plastic annually, with only 9% getting recycled
• Burning plastic waste in developing countries releases toxic chemicals with immediate and severe health impacts

What I’m actually doing about microplastics

After all this research, here are the changes I’m making:

In the kitchen:

• No more heating food in plastic – I’m switching to glass containers for reheating
• Using glass storage when possible
• Avoiding plastic water bottles (they release 90,000 microplastics annually compared to 4,000 from tap water)

For coffee:

• Bringing my own mug to coffee shops to avoid those “paper” cups coated in plastic (heat + plastic = bad combo)

For my underwear (seriously):

• Throwing out polyester underwear and switching to cotton or other natural fibers (after seeing those mice studies about fertility and testosterone… yikes)

Bottom line

Microplastics are everywhere, and they’re probably not good for us. But we don’t need to panic.

What we know:

• Microplastics are in our food, water, air, and bodies
• At high doses, plastics and their additives cause harm
• Plastic exposure is increasing

What we don’t know:

• How harmful current exposure levels are to human health
• The long-term effects of chronic, low-dose exposure

While I wait for science to catch up, I’m taking reasonable precautions without going crazy. Plastic is literally everywhere, and stressing about it probably does more harm than good.

Focus on the easy wins – glass instead of plastic for food storage, avoiding heating plastic, and maybe consider what your clothes are made of (especially the ones touching your sensitive bits).

And remember to keep the big picture in mind – sleep, real food, exercise, and avoiding stress are still your best bets for staying healthy in our plastic world.