in more than 1,300 living species so far, many of which are in our diets, including birds, fish, mammals, and plants. Single-use, throwaway packaging is the main source of microplastics. More than 9% of microplastics


in the oceans comes from clothing, because 60% of what we wear is made from polyester, acrylic, or nylon. Clothing sheds microplastics into the air, into your skin when worn, and into the water when washed. There are still a lot of smokers


in the world, and microplastics are used to make cigarette filters. About a billion smokers are responsible for about 6 trillion cigarette butts every year — the most common source of plastic litter on the world’s beaches. Other sources include hand sanitizers, car tires, tea bags, polystyrene, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, paint, plexiglass, lipstick, and many more products you use every day. According to Stanford University


researchers, an average American adult ingests enough plastic to make a credit card every week. Some of that plastic gets flushed


out or excreted, but some of it stays. We know a lot about how microplastics are formed and where they go, but we need more research on what they are doing to us. “There is no causality established


regarding adverse health outcomes at this point,” says Bernardo Lemos, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. “But it surely is hard to imagine benefits of microplastics exposure, particularly because so much is getting detected across so many tissues.”


DANGER TO HUMANS It’s hard to get a handle on this. One of the best ways to prove cause is to compare an exposed group of people to an unexposed control group. Since there are no unexposed humans, there is no control group. Nanoplastics have been found


inside human cells and microplastics inside human tissues including brain, reproductive organs, heart, stomach, lymph nodes, tonsils, digestive organs, lungs, placenta, blood, urine, semen, and breast milk. Nanoplastics inside cells can affect DNA. Animal and human cell studies


link microplastics to inflammation, cancer, reproductive health issues, heart disease, and lung disease. Two important studies on health


and microplastics came out in 2024. A human study published in the


prestigious New England Journal of Medicine measured the amount of microplastics in arteriosclerotic plaques removed from arteries during surgery. Two years after removal, patients with the highest levels of microplastics had the highest rate of hearts attacks, strokes, and deaths. A review of nearly 3,000 animal


studies from the University of California, San Francisco concluded that microplastics are associated with male and female infertility, colon cancer, lung inflammation, and lung cancer. People most at risk from


microplastics are infants and children, pregnant women, and those who work with textiles, construction, or waste management. The U.S. government has set


a goal of eliminating single-use plastics from all manufacturing by 2035, but you shouldn’t wait that long. It’s time to think about avoiding plastics right now.


How to Avoid Exposure


E


ven if all the nations of the world got together and banned microplastics tomorrow, existing plastics would still be degrading into microplastics and nanoplastics long after we are all gone. However, most experts agree that limiting your


use and exposure to plastics, microplastics, and nanoplastics may reduce your risk of danger. Experts offer these tips: Wear more clothes made


from natural fibers. Check your cosmetics,


skincare, and toiletries for plastics. Look for products labeled plastic- free. Avoid products made


with nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene. You can download an app that will scan cosmetic products for microplastic ingredients at Beat the Microbead, beatthemicrobead.org. Use a high-quality home


water filter. The best option is a reverse osmosis system. Whenever you can, choose an alternative to plastic for


single-use items, containers, bottles, utensils, wrapping, and packaging. Don’t microwave or store


food in plastic. Don’t reuse plastic bottles. Use cleaning products without plastic or microplastic. Avoid Teflon-coated


cookware. Use cloth baby diapers. Don’t smoke.


JULY 2025 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 79


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