The Top 6 Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Plastics Exposure
Author: John M.
1. Avoid plastic water bottles and other plastic drink containers
A 2024 study found that a liter of water from a single-use plastic water bottle contains approximately a quarter of a million (~250,000) plastic particles, with 90% being nanoplastics.[1]
2. Avoid plastic when possible in your kitchen
A comprehensive review found that “A plethora of kitchen utensils, encompassing coated non-stick pans, plastic cutting boards, and disposable utensils, are known to release substantial quantities of microplastic particles in everyday use, which can then be ingested alongside food.”[2]
Use: glass, stainless steel, cast-iron utensils.
3. Do not heat plastic in the microwave
A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska found that microwaving plastic containers for three minutes “could release as many as 4.22 million microplastic and 2.11 billion nanoplastic particles from only one square centimeter of plastic area.”[3]
4. Wear clothes made of natural materials (cotton, wool, hemp, or linen)
Many synthetic materials (polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex, fleece) contain plastic. Washing them leads to microplastic and nanoplastic accumulation in wastewater, while wearing them leads to potential inhalational exposure.[4]
5. Try to avoid processed food
Eating less processed foods may extend your lifespan, and it also reduces your plastics exposure. Highly-processed products contained the most microplastics per gram.[5]
6. Don’t stress about plastics too much!
Although ingesting plastics has actually been shown to induce anxiety in mice,[6] don’t let them induce anxiety in you! There is no way in modern society to avoid plastics, so do what you can to reduce your exposure and otherwise don’t worry about it!
Sources
Qian N, Gao X, Lang X, Deng H, Bratu TM, Chen Q, Stapleton P, Yan B, Min W. Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jan 16;121(3):e2300582121
Liu Y, Cao Y, Li H, Liu H, Bi L, Chen Q, Peng R. A systematic review of microplastics emissions in kitchens: Understanding the links with diseases in daily life. Environ Int. 2024 Jun;188:108740.
Huang X, Wang B, Fernandez-Ballester L, Lu Y, Schubert M, Li Y. Assessing the Release of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Plastic Containers and Reusable Food Pouches: Implications for Human Health. Environ Sci Technol. 2023 Jul 4;57(26):9782-9792.
Elbaz, D. (2023, August 24). Why We Need to Phase Plastic Out of Fashion. Plastic Pollution Coalition. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2023/8/24/why-we-need-to-phase-plastic-out-of-fashion
Milne, A, Rochman, CM, Leonard, G, Mallos, NJ, & Baechler, BR (2024). Exposure of U.S. adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins. Environl Pollution, 343, 123233.
Li G, Liu X, Sun X, Huang L, Kuang W, Ou J, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Li H, Tang H, Feng C, Gu L, Yang C, Peili W, Wang J. Polystyrene microplastics induce anxiety via HRAS derived PERK-NF-κB pathway. Environ Int. 2024 Mar;185:108543.
