Microplastics have been found everywhere on Earth and in every part of the human body where scientists have looked.

Even organs that have additional protective barriers – think the blood-brain barrier or the blood-testis barrier – have proved no match for keeping out these tiny particles, which form as larger plastic objects break down or shed into our air, water, and food. 

Even newborns taking their first breath have already been doused in many plastic-related chemicals. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can mimic or interfere with the body’s hormone signals.

It has become impossible to ignore: Tiny fragments of plastic and the chemicals used to make them are everywhere.

We also have mounting evidence that they harm our health.

Read more: Health experts say it’s time to act on plastics 

But it is possible to reduce our exposure. 

“There are safe and simple steps we can all take to reduce exposure that don’t require a Ph.D. in chemistry, and they don’t have to break the bank,” said Leonardo Transande, professor of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine during a panel discussion on March 2, 2025, exploring the health impact of plastics at the Medical Society Consortium on Climate Change and Health.

Major sources of microplastics

We eat them, drink them, inhale them, and even chew on them every time we gnaw on a piece of gum. 

It doesn’t take much for microplastics and the chemical additives used to give plastic its flexibility, durability, or color to shed or leach out into the surrounding environment. This can be particularly worrisome when plastic is used to store or cover the food we eat or the water we drink.

“The moment you open a plastic water bottle, around 50,000 microplastic particles fall into your beverage – not counting the plastic that’s leached from being stored in heat before it hits the fridge,” says Jane van Dis, an OB-GYN and plastics and health expert.

Common sources of plastic contamination include:

• Plastic packaging, containers, and canned foods
• Bottled water and plastic tea bags
• Household dust and indoor air
• Personal care products like cosmetics and lotions
• Synthetic clothing (polyester, fleece)

Factors like heat, fat content, and acidity make the transfer of plastic particles and chemical additives into food more efficient.

“Three minutes in the microwave – over 4 million plastic particles have entered your food,” van Dis says. 

The best evidence-based solutions to reduce microplastic exposure

Some exposures are hard to avoid, but experts say there are meaningful ways to cut risk.

“Reducing our plastic footprint can reduce chemical levels in days,” Trasande says. 

A study by the Silent Spring Institute and Breast Cancer Fund found that switching to a fresh food diet, where participants ate organic meals with no canned food and minimal plastic packaging, resulted in significant reductions in BPA and phthalate levels in urine. 

After three days of following this eating pattern, average BPA levels in urine decreased by over 60%, and phthalate levels dropped by over 50%.

We know that most plastic particles and associated chemicals enter our bodies through the digestive system, while some enter our bodies through our lungs, so small changes may help reduce our exposure. 

The most common route for microplastics to enter our bodies is by mouth when we eat or drink. Microwaving meals, storing food in plastic, and using plastic cutting boards can increase exposure. The safest bet may be to store and heat food in glass or ceramic and switch to wood cutting boards.

Processed foods can also be a large source of microplastics in our diets because these items may have encountered plastic in the production process at many points. A plant-rich, whole food diet is the healthiest in general to help prevent chronic disease. But it’s important to know that even fruits and vegetables can be contaminated by plastic pollution, so it’s best to wash and clean them well before eating. 

On the skin, synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and fleece can shed microplastics, and personal care products may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals like phthalates and bisphenols. Choose natural fibers such as cotton or wool, and opt for personal care products without microbeads.

To reduce inhalation of airborne microplastics from indoor dust and synthetic clothing, use a HEPA filter, vacuum and mop frequently, and wash synthetic clothes in cold water when possible. Wiping down surfaces with a damp cloth may also reduce microplastics floating in our indoor air. 

Experts also caution people to be aware of “regrettable substitutions.” Because of lax protections, companies can replace known toxic chemicals with functionally similar ones without safety testing. This can become a marketing tactic where plastic producers and chemical companies switch out a chemical that people recognize as hazardous for a similar one with a new name, but potentially an almost identical structure that can cause just as much harm. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a frequently cited example.

Many of us may now encounter BPA-free bottles that instead have BPS or BPF – essentially an alternate bisphenol that can be just as harmful. 

Given the tens of thousands of chemical additives in plastic, keeping up with all of the health risks requires more than just individual label-reading. 

“Our society puts all the responsibility on the consumer and almost none on producers or the government. That equation is wrong,” van Dis says.

How to reduce your exposure to microplastics and chemical additives 

The new three R’s: refuse, reduce, rethink

Many of us have heard of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. But given what we know about how plastics break down into dangerous particles, that model does not go far enough to protect our health.

A new framework for the three Rs may better help us minimize the plastics we bring into our homes and help deliver a message about consumer demand for safer goods.

• REFUSE: Say no to unnecessary or nonessential plastic (single-use bags, straws, and packaging) where you can. This shows companies that consumers want alternatives.
• REDUCE: Buy less, choose better, especially when it comes to food, water, and personal care products. 
• RETHINK: Plastic recycling. Instead, support policies that reduce plastic production and require labeling of harmful additives.

“With regard to plastic recycling, people need to be educated to the reality that plastic recycling is mostly greenwashing,” says Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and director of the Program on Global Public Health and the Common Good and the Boston College Observatory.

Landrigan explains that only about 8% of all plastic worldwide and about 5% of plastic in the United States is actually recycled. The problem does not lie with individual consumers, who for the most part are conscientious about putting their plastic in the proper bin. 

Read: Recycling isn’t the solution to the climate crisis

“Recycling is basically a lie. The triangle with the infinite loop was designed to make us think everything’s recyclable. They’re using psychology against us to increase profits,” says Elizabeth Ryznar, a psychiatrist who focuses on the neuropsychiatric impacts of plastics.

The problem is with the plastic itself. There are so many different types of plastics, and they contain so many toxic chemicals, that many of them can’t be recycled. The result is that 90% of the plastic that goes into the recycling bin is either buried in landfills, burned, or shipped overseas to low- and middle-income countries where it accumulates in vast waste piles, slowly leaching chemicals and shedding tiny particles.

Landrigan points out that the solution will require both individual grassroots efforts and systemic, international action. That includes a global plastic treaty with real teeth – one that caps the production of virgin plastics and sets firm targets – just like the Montreal Protocol did for ozone-depleting substances that led to the ozone hole.

Can we eliminate microplastics from our bodies?

Complete elimination of microplastic exposure is unlikely. And we still do not know if minimizing our exposure will translate to measurable changes in microplastic accumulation in our organs. 

For now, it may be best to understand that while we may not be able to avoid every exposure, we can reduce the ones that matter most.

Targeted reduction can make a big difference, especially during critical windows like pregnancy and early childhood.

We can’t live in a bubble. But we can stop filling our world with plastic.

Republish This Story

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.