Microplastics in Humans: How Plastic Pollution is Impacting Our Health

By: Kady Stoll

Modern plastics have been around for well over a century, finding a place in our grocery stores and spreading to every industry. The ever-expanding use of plastics, in addition to their lack of biodegradability, has, however, led to significant plastic pollution. Since the early 2000s, all eyes have, therefore, been on a new environmental contaminant: microplastics. Now, microplastics further threaten our health.

While plastic as we know it today was produced after the Industrial Revolution, the spirit of profit-driven companies has lived on — viewing plastics as an easy and highly convenient tool for their packaging needs.

But plastic has shifted from a mainly environmental problem affecting marine life and oceans to a problem that directly impacts us. Now, microplastics have been found in humans. Without a drastic shift by citizens and governments alike, microplastics will continue to embed themselves into every aspect of our lives and become a weight-bearing parameter affecting our health.

Where Does All This Plastic Come From?

Plastics are largely derived from fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, which means that even the manufacturing process itself has negative impacts on the environment by contributing to the emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Today, plastics are mass-produced in high quantities in order to serve their ever-growing list of industrial and commercial functions.

From shipping supplies to food containers and toys to less obvious sectors, such as construction and transportation, humans now produce more than 460 metric tons of plastic every single year. 

The scary part? We are producing more every year, as demand and consumption increase. But what happens next?!

Where Does All the Plastic Go?

Ever thought about what happens to the plastic bottle you take to the gym or the single-use plastic cutlery you buy for your family reunions? Plastic doesn’t just go away, especially after it transforms into microplastics. Sadly, most plastic goes into landfills or ends up in incinerators, adding more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere in the process.

Scientists studying coastal countries determined that somewhere between 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic waste ended up in our oceans in 2010 alone. However, according to NOAA, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of plastic in our oceans, meaning this number could potentially be much higher.

Plastic can, thus, affect wildlife, threaten species, contaminate our rivers, and exacerbate the ever-increasing threat of global warming. Ultimately, microplastics can also end up in humans.

Decomposition of Plastic… Not Really

Because plastic is NOT biodegradable, it sticks around for a very long time. According to the United Nations, that is between a shocking 20 to 500 years, to be more precise. But because plastic is not organic in nature, even after breaking down, it doesn’t just disappear. In fact, microplastics are forever. Today, you can find microplastics in bottled water, food, and even in breastmilk. Yes, microplastics are in humans too, making you wonder how it got this far.

The problem with microplastics?

Besides taking up space in our oceans and atmosphere, microplastics can be ingested by living organisms, having been found in organs and tissues of different species. As a result, microplastic research has picked up over the last decade, and studies indicate a possible link to significant health concerns, including heart disease, cancer, and cellular changes.

Microplastics in Our Food

With widespread plastic use touching every industry, it is no surprise that microplastics have been found in our food. Unfortunately, this finding marks a direct threat to our health as we now consume microplastic-contaminated foods, putting our bodies and well-being at constant risk.

But why are microplastics in our food in the first place?

The primary reasons are environmental contributions, leading to crops absorbing microplastics from the soil. Contaminated water can further increase the amount of microplastics absorbed by agricultural fields. 

When plastic is incinerated and dispersed into the atmosphere, it can eventually make its way into bodies of water, like rivers and oceans, penetrate the soil, and even living organisms. Therefore, it is important to remember the cyclic patterns of natural processes that emphasize the fragile connectedness of environmental components and species.

But microplastics can also be found in food as a direct result of plastic packaging that is all too common in the food and beverage industries. According to a report by the United Nations,  36% of plastics produced are now used for packaging, including single-use plastic items.

As food is in constant contact with plastics, microplastics can easily make their way into our food and ultimately into our bodies — leading to scientists finding more and more microplastics in humans.

Microplastics in Bottled Water

In addition to the prevalence of microplastics in food, microplastics can also be found in bottled water, contaminating yet another important life source. Using reusable bottles, therefore, doesn’t simply reduce plastic waste, but can further reduce your exposure to microplastics and alleviate potential adverse effects on your health.

The main contaminant in this instance is usually the bottle itself. If plastic bottles are exposed to heat, the dissolution of plastics into microplastics is even faster, increasing the concentration of microplastics in your bottled water. 

A study conducted to explore the response of different types of plastics to heat found that many common types of plastic degrade at higher temperatures and are impacted by UV light, releasing both micro and nano particles.

Further research indicates that mechanical stress, such as manufacturing-related processes, can also increase the amount of microplastics in your bottled water. But because microplastics contain various chemical compounds, they can cause even more widespread harm — potentially releasing additional toxins into the water.

Microplastics in Our Brains

Because our exposure to microplastics has risen exponentially and continues to rise, we now face an ever-growing risk to our health. As we are ingesting microplastics from our food and water and inhaling contaminated air, microplastics can travel as far as our brains, posing potentially significant risks and leading to not fully understood health outcomes.

An array of detection methods can now be used to locate microplastics in our brains and elsewhere in our bodies. Research has verified the presence of microplastics in multiple organs, including the kidneys and liver, but found that microplastics in our brains contain larger amounts of polyethylene. 

This study further compared individuals who passed in 2016 versus 2024, and found that the latter group accumulated more microplastics in their brains. This is not surprising, as the amount of microplastics in our environment is steadily increasing — meaning that we can potentially expect to see even higher levels in the near future.

It is also worth noting that microplastics were found in higher concentrations in the brains of individuals who had been diagnosed with dementia, raising the question of a possible link between microplastics and dementia.

According to the  Alzheimer’s Society, air pollution is a known risk for developing dementia. While more research and larger datasets are necessary to draw reliable conclusions, research points to a mechanistic connection between the presence of microplastics in our brains and the degeneration of brain tissue.

What Can YOU Do? Finding Ways to Eliminate Plastic Pollution

While it is difficult to contain the microplastics already dispersed in our atmosphere and soil, we can effectively work towards reducing the amount of new plastic — limiting plastic pollution and curbing potential health risks stemming from microplastics. 

Here is what that would look like in practice:

• Avoid foods with plastic packaging, and store leftovers in sustainable beeswax or glass containers. Even better, use nature’s original packaging (if possible), like apples and bananas, as they come in a peel already and don’t need to be packaged again.
• Use reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles.
• Do NOT use single-use plastics!
• Recycle plastic containers and packaging.
• Participate in beach and ocean cleanups to ensure plastics are removed from our environment. This is particularly important for marine life and the health of our oceans as well.

Ready to make a difference? 

Join Ocean Blue Project volunteers and find a local beach cleanup where you can help remove plastics from our beaches and restore their original beauty. In the process, you can lower our exposure to microplastics resulting from plastic items left behind on the beach.

If you’d like to make a donation, you can find more information here.

Change doesn’t just happen, it’s a commitment. Be a changemaker and make your voice heard!

 

Author Bio:

Kady Stoll is a science writer and copywriter for sustainable and eco-friendly brands. She’s an avid advocate for the environment and holds a degree in Energy & Resources. Kady lives with her husband and two little boys in a small town in coastal North Carolina.