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They’re in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the air we breathe. They’ve pervaded every ecosystem in the world, from coral reefs to Antarctic ice. And they’ve infiltrated the human body, lodging themselves in everything from brain tissue to reproductive organs.
They’re in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the air we breathe. They’ve pervaded every ecosystem in the world, from coral reefs to Antarctic ice. And they’ve infiltrated the human body, lodging themselves in everything from brain tissue to reproductive organs.
Microplastics — plastic fragments up to 5 millimeters long — are inescapable. An estimated 10 to 40 million metric tons of these particles are released into the environment every year, and if current trends continue, that number could double by 2040. Most come from larger plastic items that break down over time, while some are added directly to products we use such as paint, cleansers and toothpastes.
“Plastic never goes away — it just breaks down into finer and finer particles,” said Desiree LaBeaud, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Stanford Medicine who co-founded the university’s interdisciplinary Plastics and Health Working Group.
Public concerns over the health effects of microplastics are growing. In the past year alone, headlines have sounded the alarm about particles in tea bags, seafood, meat and bottled water. Scientists have estimated that adults ingest the equivalent of one credit card per week in microplastics. Studies in animals and human cells suggest microplastics exposure could be linked to cancer, heart attacks, reproductive problems and a host of other harms. Yet few studies have directly examined the impact of microplastics on human health, leaving us in the dark about how dangerous they really are.
While avoiding microplastics is impossible, experts at Stanford Medicine point out that individuals can take steps to reduce their exposure. Addressing the problem on a broader scale will require action from industry leaders and policymakers, they say…