{"id":76863,"date":"2024-07-22T08:17:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T14:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=76863"},"modified":"2024-07-29T17:47:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T23:47:14","slug":"microplastics-are-everywhere-from-water-to-food-what-are-the-health-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/microplastics-are-everywhere-from-water-to-food-what-are-the-health-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"Microplastics are everywhere, from water to food. What you need to know about the health impacts of microplastics."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Microplastics
Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic, smaller than 5 millimeters. They come from larger objects that break down and degrade over time, such water bottles and food packaging. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Microplastics are everywhere. From an infant\u2019s first poop to the depths of the Mariana Trench<\/a>, the tiny particles are impossible to avoid.<\/p>\n

Some researchers estimate that each of us is consuming a credit card\u2019s worth of microplastics each week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How big of a deal is that?<\/p>\n

While interest has skyrocketed in recent years, science is still racing to catch up. Some evidence<\/a> suggests microplastics could be linked to cancer, infertility, heart disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer\u2019s disease and more.<\/p>\n

With rising colorectal cancer rates in younger adults<\/a> and rising rates of lung cancer among people who have never smoked<\/a>, the call for answers is getting louder.<\/p>\n

Scientists like Dr. Suzhao Li<\/a> are working to answer that call.<\/p>\n

Li, who has both medical and doctorate degrees, is an associate research professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>. She specializes in infectious disease and inflammation immunology.<\/p>\n

When she first heard about microplastics years ago, she didn\u2019t pay much attention. Like most of us, she drank water out of plastic bottles and ate food that came in plastic packaging. She certainly didn\u2019t think microplastics would become an important part of her job.<\/p>\n

But as more research was published, microplastics and their potential health impacts became a focus for Li.<\/p>\n

When did you start paying attention to microplastics?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cI started hearing about microplastics when my friends, who are chemists, started talking about how we eat a lot of plastic. At first, I didn\u2019t pay much attention,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started to pay more attention with news coverage of microplastics and the research and reports coming out about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microplastics are foreign to the human body, she said. When foreign materials enter the body, our immune cells try to figure out what they are and react accordingly.<\/p>\n

What are microplastics? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic, smaller than 5 millimeters. They come from larger objects that break down and degrade over time, such as plastic bags, water bottles, phone cases, clothes, food packaging, car tires, paint coatings, clothing and more. Some are even intentionally added to products such as abrasive cleaners or cosmetics.<\/p>\n

How are we exposed to microplastics? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to a study published in Environment & Health<\/a>, humans are exposed to microplastics in three ways:<\/p>\n