Microplastics: What They Are, Why They're a Problem & 5 Ways You Can Avoid Them
Microplastics: What They Are, Why They're a Problem & 5 Ways You Can Avoid Them
Author: Team Grove
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris that have invaded our foodstreams and water sources. We eat them. We inhale them. We’ve found them in the deepest part of the ocean and near the top of Mount Everest.¹ But what exactly are microplastics, and how are they affecting us? Here, we take a closer look at these tiny plastic particles and zoom in on how they affect our health and the environment, as well as outline 5 ways to reduce your microplastic exposure.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 mm long — from roughly the size of a pencil eraser to smaller than the width of a hair.¹ They come from various sources like nylon and polyester fibers, glitter, and microbeads in face scrubs. They can even “shed” off larger plastic products like plastic bottles and bags.
Microplastic particles are so small that once they’re in the environment, we can’t get them out. And once they’re reduced to a small enough size, they easily become airborne or enter ocean ecosystems. As a result, it’s estimated we inhale and eat around 74,000 to 114,000 particles of microplastics per year.² And we don’t just excrete the microplastics we inadvertently consume — they travel to other places in our bodies — our lungs, blood, and even human placentas.³
What do microplastics do to marine life and the ocean?
Every year, around 14 million tons of plastic enter the ocean through littering, water runoff, and wind.⁴ Here’s the catch: Plastic doesn’t dissolve in water — instead, it floats around and wreaks havoc on ocean ecology and marine life. Chlorinated plastics and those that contain additives like BPA and phthalates leach harmful chemicals into the water, causing hormonal disruption, inflammation, altered gene expression, and even behavior changes in fish.⁵
The harm doesn’t stop there. Freshwater fish absorb microplastics through their gills and marine animals often mistake plastic for food. Similarly to humans, fish don’t excrete all the microplastics they consume. Studies done on seven species of fish in the Great Lakes found that 74 percent of filets — aka the part we eat — contained microplastics.⁶ When we eat the fish, we eat the microplastics present in them.
What foods are microplastics found in?
When microplastics are washed down the sink, they find their way into wastewater, which is commonly used to irrigate crops. Chemicals from plastic litter can also seep into the ground and contaminate the soil and groundwater. Because of soil and water contamination, microplastics have been discovered in salt, sugar, beer, and the plant life we eat, from carrots and lettuces that grow in the ground to apples and pears that grow in trees.⁷
Are microplastics harmful to humans?
How microplastics affect human health is a relatively new area of study, and there isn’t enough evidence yet to definitively say whether or not microplastics are harmful to us. What scientists do know is that there’s a risk of toxicity.
Studies found allergic reactions, cell damage, and cell death in tests done on lab mice who consumed the same relative levels of microplastics that humans ingest.⁸ When you consider that plastics often contain additives and toxic chemicals that can cause endocrine disruption, infertility, and cancer, it isn’t so surprising that eating and inhaling plastic has the potential for less than appetizing effects.⁹
5 ways you can avoid microplastics
We get it — it can be hard to avoid plastic and microplastics entirely, but you can lessen your exposure while reducing the amount of microplastic you put into the world:
1. Switch up how you wash, dry, and purchase your clothes
Air dry your clothes when possible. Using a dryer creates friction between fibers, releasing microplastics from synthetic fabrics. Dryer sheets are another sneaky culprit of microplastic pollution, since they’re often made from polyester — a plastic-containing fiber. These can easily be swapped out for wool dryer balls instead, which work just as effectively to dry and soften clothes without shedding microplastics into the air and water your laundry machines will release.
As for buying new clothes, choose natural fibers when you can. Each time you wash synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester, microfiber cloths, and Lycra, microplastics get released into the water system and swarm wastewater treatment plants. Because cotton, linen, and wool are natural fibers that break down in the environment, they don’t contribute to the microplastic problem.
2. Avoid plastic food containers
Not only do plastic containers shed microplastic particles that could end up in the environment, they also contain plastic and chemicals that can immediately leach into your leftovers when you use the microwave. Upgrade your lunchbox with glass tupperware and replace plastic containers in your pantry with glass jars and stainless steel containers to help cut down on your overall plastic consumption.
3. Use a reusable water bottle and filter your drinking water
Bottled water is one of the largest contributors to microplastic ingestion, coming in at 100 microplastics per liter — 50% more microplastics than tap water.¹⁰ Ditch single-use plastic bottles and opt for a reusable water bottle instead. Additionally, outfit your sink with a water filter. While tap water has fewer microplastics than bottled water, people still consume around 4,000 plastic particles from tap water every year.² Because microplastics are 5 millimeters or smaller, a water filter with a pore size of less than 0.1 micrometers should be effective at removing microplastics.
4. Find reusable alternatives to single-use products
Put a dent in your plastic consumption with reusable alternatives to single-use products. Easy swaps like reusable food wrap instead of plastic wrap are real game-changers when it comes to cutting down on microplastics in your home.
5. Clean up your beauty routine
Plastic microbeads are a major contributor to plastic pollution in our oceans and soil. These tiny balls of plastic are marketed as “exfoliating beads” in face and body washes, but they pollute the environment when they’re washed down the drain. Choose personal care products that use natural exfoliators like pumice instead.
By making these simple changes, you can make a significant dent in addressing the microplastic problem and reducing its impact on both your health and the environment.
Sources
1 Liu, X., Xu, J., Li, Y., & Wang, X. (2020). Sustainability in the Anthropocene: The role of human and ecological systems in driving sustainable development. One Earth, 3(5), 620–630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.10.012
2 Nelson, A. (2019, August 29). Microplastics are now everywhere — even in our food and air. TIME. https://time.com/5601359/microplastics-in-food-air/
3 Leslie, H. A., van Velzen, M. J. M., Brandsma, S. H., Vethaak, A. D., Garcia-Vallejo, J. J., & Lamoree, M. H. (2022). Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environment International, 158, 107199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
4 CleanHub. (n.d.). How much plastic is in the ocean? CleanHub. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://blog.cleanhub.com/how-much-plastic-in-the-ocean#:~:text=It's%20thought%20around%2014%20million,suggest%20we%20must%20act%20now.
5 IGB. (February 5, 2018). An Underestimated Threat: Land-Based Pollution with Microplastics. IGB. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/news/underestimated-threat-land-based-pollution-microplastics
6 Ocean Conservancy. (2021, October 18). I eat fish, am I eating microplastics? Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2021/10/18/eating-microplastics/
7 Greshko, M. (2022, April 15). Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us? National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-are-in-our-bodies-how-much-do-they-harm-us
8 Yee MS, Hii LW, Looi CK, Lim WM, Wong SF, Kok YY, Tan BK, Wong CY, Leong CO. Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Feb 16;11(2):496. doi: 10.3390/nano11020496. PMID: 33669327; PMCID: PMC7920297.
9 Kevin Loria. (October 2, 2019). B Most Plastic Products Contain Potentially Toxic Chemicals, Study Reveals. Consumer Reports. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/most-plastic-products-contain-potentially-toxic-chemicals/
10 Clean Water Action. (2020, July 29). Bottled water: The human health consequences of drinking from plastic. Clean Water Action. Retrieved November 22, 2024, fromhttps://cleanwater.org/2020/07/29/bottled-water-human-health-consequences-drinking-plastic
