NORFOLK, Va. — Our century-long dependence on plastic may finally be catching up to us. Microplastics are a growing threat to your health you may not even know about.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic -- under 5mm in length -- and they’re showing up more and more in our waterways, food, and even bottled water. The manmade convenience is turning up in all the wrong places and new studies reveal its presence may be more of a threat than we originally thought.
Microplastic contamination first showed up in Chesapeake Bay in 2011, and we’re still learning about the negative effects on creatures that live in local waters.
But a study published in January by the National Academy of Sciences uncovers a specific problem threatening our health: bottled water could contain up to 100 times the amount of plastic particles than we originally thought.
Because plastics are so integrated into our way of life and the fact that we’re looking for the micro-variety more often these days, there are signs they’re showing up more in our soil and farmland, too.
The question now is, how much of an effect can microplastics have on our health?
Unfortunately, it’s still not clear. A higher cancer risk and chemical disruptions in our bodies are both potential concerns, according to scientists. But right now, the research is still in its infancy.
We do know microplastics are showing up more often, and in places where they weren’t before.
Another peer-reviewed study from Polymers in 2022 found microplastics in 75% of participants' breast milk samples.