Discover How You Can Reduce Your Exposure to Microplastics

Plastic has become an integral and inescapable part of our world. We find it in almost everything we use, from toys for our kids to food packaging.

Bakelite® Synthetics was the first fully synthetic plastic material made in 1907. This new material was mass-produced, resulting in the plastic industry’s emergence in the 1950s. The buzz around plastic is still going strong — being used in more products worldwide than ever before.

While plastic has proven to be convenient for our everyday needs, there are hidden health risks associated with these products, known as microplastics. Keep reading to learn more about microplastics and how you and your family can reduce exposure risk.

Microplastic Basics

Microplastics are everywhere. To many’s surprise, they can be found in foods, water, cleaning supplies, the air we breathe and even our clothing. Research is just beginning to scratch the surface on the health effects of microplastics. However, it’s important to first understand what microplastics are.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny, broken-down pieces of plastic products like water bottles, tires and even some types of clothing. These tiny bits of plastic measure less than 5 millimeters in diameter and are considered a type of pollutant.

According to the National Library of Medicine, it’s estimated that humans consume 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles each year. While there’s still little research on their health effects, it might be time for Americans to re-evaluate some of their basic lifestyle choices to reduce their exposure risk.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Exposure to Microplastics

Although microplastics are ever-present, there are certain things you can do to manage your exposure risk, including:

• Avoiding foods in plastic packaging or cans with plastic linings
• Buying goods that use more natural materials
• Decreasing your use of single-use plastic
• Investing in a tap water filter
• Keeping doors and windows open to improve ventilation
• Refraining from cooking or microwaving food in plastic
• Shortening your dishwasher cycles
• Vacuuming your house regularly

Let’s examine each of these items more closely to learn how to reduce your exposure risk.

Food With Plastic Packaging Elements

When you go to the grocery store, many products are packaged in plastic. While this is convenient for distributors and consumers, it can still pose health risks. Foods packaged in plastic become contaminated by direct contact with the packaging materials.

As our food sits on store shelves, certain factors like temperature and storage time impact the amount of plastic that seeps or flakes into it. Since most of our foods come in plastic packaging, we’re consistently increasing our exposure to microplastics by consuming these foods.

We recommend finding grocery stores or local markets where certain foods aren’t pre-packaged in plastic and storing your food in metal or glass containers.

Prioritize Natural Materials

Since most things contain plastic, it can be difficult to avoid your exposure to microplastics. However, you can prioritize more natural or non-plastic materials for everyday needs. We recommend:

• Buying reusable cooking utensils made from natural materials
• Drinking out of metal water bottles
• Storing food in glass containers
• Using cloth or reusable bags to reduce the spread of plastic

These practical steps can help reduce your and your family’s exposure to microplastics and possibly benefit your long-term health by lowering your microplastic consumption by tens of thousands of particles each year.

Filter Your Water

According to the National Library of Medicine, 70 to 90% of microplastic particles are removed at drinking water treatment plants around the U.S. However, despite achieving these high reductions, microplastics remain. Billions of liters of contaminated water are produced daily at facilities worldwide, which means microplastics can even be found in tap water.

Point-of-use (POU) filtration devices have recently gained popularity in American households. POUs aim to purify our water at the point of consumption. This includes under-sink systems, faucet, shower and countertop filters. There are many companies that specialize in POU device installations for your home. It may seem like a big feat, but when it comes to your health, it’s more than worth it to filter out these tiny pollutants to keep your family healthy.

Increase Ventilation in Your Home

Since microplastics can be found in the air, properly ventilating your home is a good way to reduce your risk of exposure. You can open a few windows or your back door. Another option could be using air purifiers, specifically those with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, HEPA filters can remove roughly 99% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any other particles, including microplastics, with a size of 0.3 microns. Overall, increasing the ventilation in your home is a great way to keep you and your family healthy and continue to supply fresh air.

Don’t Cook With Plastic

We understand we lead busy lives, which can make cooking homemade meals a challenge. For many, microwavable lunches and dinners have become a go-to for their busy schedules. However, when plastic is exposed to high temperatures, it can begin to degrade and break off into fragments, contaminating our food with microplastics. It’s best to avoid cooking food in plastic.

According to the National Library of Medicine, food preparation activities like mixing, cutting, scraping and whisking can generate microplastics, too. Exposing plastic utensils to high temperatures is also known to release toxic fumes. It’s important to avoid plastic cookware when preparing food and stick with metal or wood utensils.

Reduce Your Dishwasher Cycle Times

Even something as mundane as running your dishwasher is known to release microplastics. The National Library of Medicine conducted a study measuring the amount of microplastics released during two cycle times. They found a shorter, 15-minute cycle with no dishes released between 207 to 427 microplastics. However, a fully loaded, 164-minute cycle released 1025 to 1370 microplastics.

The type of detergent you use also significantly affects the amount of microplastics released during your dishwasher’s cycle. Certain detergents can speed up the degradation process of plastics, so this, combined with the high water and drying temperatures, is a noteworthy takeaway when washing your dishes.

Vacuum Regularly

Just like ventilating your home helps reduce microplastics, the same is true for vacuuming. Since microplastics are virtually everywhere, it’s common for us to track them into our homes from our clothes, shoes and bags. Microplastics are generally impossible to see with the naked eye, so vacuuming is a great way to rid your home of these invisible pollutants — it helps keep your furry friends safe, too.

Helping You Keep a Clean Bill of Health

At AdventHealth, we seek to care for all of you in body, mind and spirit. We encourage you to take the next step for your and your family’s health by reducing your risk of exposure to microplastics so you can move forward in confidence. Visit us here to learn more about their effects on your health, or schedule an appointment.