Microplastics In Your Food And Water - Are you eating a dinner plate full of plastic garbage?

Plastic has invaded the entire planet, including our bodies.

We consume, on average, a heaping dinner plate-sized amount of plastic a year (250 grams/8.81 ounces).^[1] That’s a credit card-sized amount of plastic every week.^[2]

When we die, we will have eaten 20 kg of plastic or more in our lifetime. That is the size of two garbage bins.

Plastic does not biodegrade, it breaks into tiny pieces called “microplastics”, about the size of a grain of sand. And it’s recently been discovered that plastic breaks down even more into microscopic-sized pieces.

These tiny plastic particles float in the air, are absorbed into our food, and are present in large amounts in the water we drink.

We are Eating, Drinking, Breathing and Absorbing Plastic

We inhale, eat, drink, and absorb microscopic pieces of plastic that become embedded in our skin, muscles, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, digestive system, brain, and reproductive organs.

Microplastics and nanoplastics have been found in fish, meat, vegetables and fruit, tap water, and bottled water. Even our synthetic fiber clothing is made of plastic that sheds microfibers into the air and is absorbed through our skin.

Plastic is literally everywhere in the world and it’s impossible to escape from it.

Our environment is completely saturated with plastic particles.

Several studies published recently show microplastics and nanoplastics have contaminated virtually all oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers, and seemingly pristine wilderness, including the north and south poles.^[3]

The Ocean—Swimming in Plastic

There are currently about 5.25 trillion plastic pieces floating in the ocean. A more recent study from this year shows even more plastic in the ocean than was previously thought.

One study shows that 97% of sea animals in the Antarctic have ingested microplastics.^[4]

Over 70% of the marine life in the six deepest ocean trenches of the world contain microplastics. This includes the Mariana trench which is the deepest ocean trench on earth at 10,890 meters, or 36,000 feet.^[5]

There is probably not one single marine organism that is not affected by invasive plastics.

At least 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. At this pace, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050.

Inhaling Plastic With Every Breath

Some 136,000 tons of micro- and nanoplastics from the ocean float back up into the atmosphere, which is blown onto land, posing a bigger risk to humans. ^[6]

Tiny pieces of microscopic plastic are are carried in clouds that release plastic back onto land as rain, snow, fog, or mist.^[7]

We inhale these microscopic particles floating around in the air. Other bits of plastic end up in our water supply via rivers, streams, and reservoirs, and come out in our tap water.

Bathing in Plastic at Home

Your home contains a massive amount of plastic--especially if it is a newer home.

There is plastic in the mattresses, pillows, furniture, upholstery, carpets and rugs, insulation, bed sheets and blankets, toilet paper, paper towels, tablecloths, and dish towels. There’s also nonstick pan linings, cooking utensils, plates, cups, water bottles, coffee makers, and cleaning product containers.

Almost all food is covered in plastic or is in plastic coated boxes, boxes, cans, or bottles. And then there’s plastic bags, plastic storage containers, plastic eating utensils, takeout containers, and even the lining of paper cups.

Plastic is also on the walls of your house in the form of paint, your plumbing pipes are plastic, the electric wiring insulation, downspouts, window frames, gutters, electrical outlet covers and switchplates.

If you have a baby or small children, virtually everything they touch is plastic—diapers and wipes, clothing, blankets, bedding, bottles, pacifiers, playpens, carriages, and toys.

Plastic Clothing is Absorbed Through Your Skin

While you may be putting on your workout clothes to stay fit and healthy, you might be shocked to learn that your activewear and running shoes are made of plastic-based materials. In fact, 60-70% of all clothing is made from plastic-based materials—especially activewear and outerwear that is windproof or waterproof.

When you exercise, sweat leaches out chemical additives from the synthetic materials and is absorbed through your skin into your body and your bloodstream.^[8] Synthetic clothing (nylon, polyester, rayon, acrylic, and spandex) also sheds microfibers with every wash. These microfibers go down the drain into sewer systems and back into the environment via air or water.

Plastic Food

While it might seem healthier to be consuming "wild caught” fish and seafood, fish and shellfish are marinating in a sea full of plastic and other toxins, and we are eating that.^[9]

Microfibers, the plastics shed from synthetic clothing, are the most common form of plastic found in fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. One study on microplastics in fish from 2022 found hundreds of microplastics in a single can of tuna.^[10]

Mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters, scallops) and shellfish contain the most plastic, along with bigger predatory fish like tuna, shark, swordfish, mackerel and grouper. Sardines and anchovies--usuallly eaten whole--have a lot of microplastics in their stomachs.

Don’t plan on a vegan diet to stay safe from plastic. One study from 2020 found sizable amounts of microplastics in fruits and vegetables, especially broccoli, carrots, and apples.^[11]

Fruits and vegetables actually suck up plastic through their roots from the soil. Most plastic tends to accumulate in the root of the vegetable, with less going to the leafy portion of a plant.^[12]

Root vegetables like carrots, turnips, beets and radishes tend to have higher amounts of plastic. It doesn’t matter if fruits and veggies are considered organic, because organic foods are often sprayed with sewage sludge from wastewater treatment centers that contain large quantities of plastic.

Food in plastic wrap or plastic containers will pick up plastic particles from its packaging, so it’s no surprise that processed foods will contain the most plastic—along with other toxins. While many foods contain plastic, tea from teabags and sea salt can contain the highest amounts of plastic.

Tea bags are often made of woven plastic and when placed in hot water, the plastic melts into your tea. One study shows that brewed tea can contain billions of plastic particles.

Sea salt comes from evaporated sea water. Because most all our oceans and seawater contain millions of tons of microplastics, you’re probably seasoning your food with a lot of plastic.

One study found that 93% of sea salt tested contained microplastics. Another study showed 100% of the sea salt from the Mediterranean Sea as containing plastic.^[13] The average adult consumes probably 2000 plastic particles a year from salt alone.^[14]

Tap and Bottled Water–Plastic Soup

Both tap water and bottled water can have significant amounts of plastic in them.

Clothing contributes to a lot of the plastic in our drinking water. Because 60-70% of our clothing is synthetic, during washing, plastic fibers are washed down the drain and into sewer systems. Most wastewater treatment centers cannot filter out all the plastic particles, especially the nanoplastic particles.

Plastic then gets sprayed onto crops as sewer sludge where it enters your food, or the plastic goes into rivers and streams, where it ends up in the water system and comes out in your tap water.

Bottled water is even worse.

Bottled water that comes in plastic containers has by far the highest amounts of plastics. A very recent study found that 1 liter of bottled water can contain over 240,000 particles of nanoplastics. ^[15]

Damage to Your Health

All of us have plastic in our bodies. We ingest it, absorb it,and inhale it. Microscopic plastic particles end up everywhere in our bodies.

The most recent research shows that plastic particles have been found embedded in the blood vessels and plaque in about 60% of patients with heart disease. The study also found the patients with microplastics in blood vessels had a higher risk of further strokes, heart attacks or death.^[16]

Microplastics contain endocrine disrupters. Endocrine disrupters increase cancer risk and reproductive disorders. Microplastics also increase inflammation in the gut, the respiratory system, the blood, and blood vessels.

Nanoplastics also cross the blood-brain barrier and become embedded in brain tissue, causing neurotoxic damage and dementia.^[17]

Chronic exposure to microplastics in the environment is associated with respiratory disease, digestive disorders, kidney problems, reproductive issues, and cardiovascular disease. The long-term health effects of plastic are still unknown. The microscopic size of nanoparticles has made plastic difficult to study in the body, but it’s pretty certain plastic is not harmless.^[18]

Can You Avoid Exposure to Plastic?

While you can’t totally avoid exposure to plastic, you can reduce it. But it does take a concentrated effort and awareness.

Some things you can do to reduce exposure to plastic:

- Avoid single use plastics like plastic bags, cups, straws and lids, and takeout food containers.

- Buy fresh produce without packaging.

- Avoid purchasing processed foods.

- Don’t drink tea in bags, use loose leaf tea instead.

- Buy sea salt from an uncontaminated source

- Avoid drinking bottled water out of plastic bottles; drink water in glass or aluminum or from a reusable container.

- Purchase cleaning supplies and toiletries in glass, aluminum or reusable bottles. Buy solid soap and shampoo that does not need a container.

- Replace pillows, sheets and bedding with natural fibers.

- Wear natural fiber clothing like wool, cotton and linen.

- Use a special microfiber laundry bag when washing fleece and other synthetic fabrics.

- Buy used products, and repair and maintain items instead of purchasing new.

- Participate in local cleanups. Pick up trash on the beach.

- Recycle whenever possible.

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