Plastic is everywhere, isn’t it? It’s helpful, harmful, and so ubiquitous that it’s hardly noticed. I’ve made efforts through the years to reduce my use, but it seems to keep creeping back into my life. I’ve been reading things lately, though, which have motivated me to tackle the issue again.
One of the key problems with conventional plastic is that it doesn’t biodegrade. It does, however, break off into ever smaller pieces. As one report notes, “They may be too small to see, but they are still there, worming their way into every nook and cranny of the environment – including our bodies.”
These tiny plastic particles (known as microplastics) enter our body in a number of ways.
We eat them. Every day we consume millions of microplastic particles. A recent article notes that we consume 5 grams weekly, which is about the amount in a credit card or plastic bottle cap. Some of the plastic in our food is there because of bio-accumulation in the food chain and some comes from plastic-containing dust in the air.
We drink them. They can enter the water supply or leach into drinks bottled in plastic. They can also enter our beverages in a more direct way. Until recently, I was unaware that most tea bags are sealed with plastic. A New Scientist article reports that studies have found that a single tea bag can put 11.6 billion microplastic particles into a cup of tea. This is many times greater than the amounts found in other foods which have traditionally been considered to be high in plastic contamination.
We breathe them in. An article titled “Microplastics are Raining Down on Cities” notes that researchers tested the air in four cities and found microplastics (up to 15 different types) in all of them. Even low-population areas once considered pristine have been affected. The BBC reports that “even in the Arctic, microscopic particles of plastic are falling out of the sky with snow.”
How these microplastics are affecting our health isn’t completely known, because the issue hasn’t been extensively studied. However, a Washington Post article notes that “It’s likely that ingesting microplastics could further expose us to chemicals . . . known to be harmful.” The chemicals include bisphenols (the most well known of which is Bisphenol A, or BPA), phthalates, styrene, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These have been linked to cancer, immune system effects, hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, and more. There is evidence that microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and they may pass from mothers to their developing children in utero. A physics professor writes that “microplastics, like the microfibers from our clothing, can also absorb harmful chemicals—like the flame retardants we put on that same clothing—and release them later, perhaps after they’ve wound up in our gut.”
The obvious solution to the problem is to reduce our use of plastic, but that takes some focus, in part because plastic is so much a part of our lives that we may not always even recognize and notice it. The Washington Post notes that plastic “lines soup cans, leaches out of storage containers, hides in household dust, and is found inside of toys, electronics, shampoo, cosmetics and countless other products.” Synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, acrylic, and nylon are also easily overlooked forms of plastic.
Experts have recommended various strategies to reduce microplastic exposure, including the following:
Avoid storing food in plastic. Plastic with recycling codes of 3, 6, and 7 may be especially problematic. I once heard a speaker talk about the fact that we think of plastic as non-porous, but that to understand how porous it actually is, we can remember how easily a plastic container can be stained with tomato sauce. The food can get into the plastic, and the plastic can get into the food. Eating fresh food is wise for many reasons, including the fact that food cans, wrappers, take-out containers and other packaging are often sources of microplastic contamination.
Don’t heat plastic. Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave. Don’t put plastic in your dishwasher. To combat the issue of plastic in tea bags, look for brands that are compostable, or use loose leaf tea. Getting rid of as much plastic in the kitchen as possible is wise, but especially consider replacing things like plastic spatulas or colanders that are often used with hot food.
Stay away from bottled water. A test of tap water in the United States found microplastic in 94% of the samples, but bottled water has about double the amount. Tap water can have other contaminants too, of course, so a good filter is highly recommended.
Wear clothing made of natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool. Synthetic fabrics can shed tiny particles into the air, and are also widely implicated in contaminating the water supply. When we wash our synthetic clothes, plastic particles make their way from our washing machines into the environment. Some of them reach the ocean, are ingested by marine animals, and become part of the food chain.
Dust regularly and try to reduce the amount of plastic likely to be found in it. Household dust comes from everything in the home, so reducing the amount of plastic in the home environment will keep the dust from containing as many microplastic particles. High quality air filters are a good idea. Carpet collects dust and is best avoided when possible.
Microplastic contamination is a big issue, but there are steps each of us can take to reduce our exposures, and what we do to protect ourselves may protect others as well. Lowering our toxic load is a journey, and all journeys are taken one step at a time.