Food is F&*ked: Micro & Nanoplastics are turning you into Barbie one particle at a time.
'MiNaplastics' are being found in testicles, in breasts, placentas, and newborns. Should we be concerned that every human is filling up on these tiny plastic particles? The answer is a big yes.
Are we turning into plastic? Is this the Barbification of society at large? Was Greta Gerwig’s film last summer merely a cog in the plastic lobby machine, geared to make us feel ‘ok’ about our inevitable collective Barbieland fate? At one time the only plastic we considered in our bodies came from filler, breast implants, and things left behind by absent-minded surgeons. However, our understanding of the pervasive nature of plastics in the environment is being actively transformed.
Micro- + Nano- plastics = MiNaplastics. With the abundance of micro- and nano-plastics (for simplicity I call them MiNaplastics - give a name, know thy enemy) in the air, water, and foods we eat, our bodies are in a process of co-evolution with the plastic industrial complex (only a partial joke here). These particles, resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items, are being ingested by humans and other living organisms, with unknown health and ecosystem risks. What happens to these particles when they enter our bodies, does anyone know? We all feel a shock and aversion to consuming plastic, yet little is understood about what they do once inside us. Despite nearly a decade of research on the subject, we have not witnessed a massive change in the use of plastics when it comes to packaging our food.
There is no more time to be neutral on the subject of microplastics. New research published in Toxicological Sciences, found the presence of microplastics in every sample of human testicular tissue tested, with a demonstrated correlation between lower sperm count and higher microplastic concentration. Most reports are careful not to say these observations are causal (meaning the microplastics do not cause infertility, they just happen to be present in infertile subjects), as not to offend the plastics industry and trigger litigation. However at this point there is sufficient evidence to take a clear position with some immediate actions: 1 - It makes sense to reduce your exposure to microplastics (at minimum: no plastic water bottles, no heating food in plastic), 2 - Put pressure on regulators to limit plastics production (we need to figure out what this actually looks like, awareness is a first step), and 3 - Demand corporate accountability in understanding the biological implications of plastic consumption (how you use your dollars matters) - including research dollars and warning labels on plastic food packaging. It is definitely time we stop taking the ‘innocent until proven guilty position’ when it comes to the role of plastic in public health.
What are micro- and nano- plastics (a little technical can skip)? Plastic pollution has reached critical mass with production nearing 400 million metric tons annually. Unlike natural organic matter, most plastics do not degrade into harmless substances, rather they divide into smaller particles of the same chemical composition, like a chain being broken down into smaller chains then individual links. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles less than 5 millimetres (~ eraser at the end of a pencil) in size but larger than 100 nanometers (1/1000th the width of a human hair). These have proven easier to study because they are readily visualized by different forms of microscopy, and are found to collect within the different tissues of the body. Nanoplastics are the ‘children’ of microplastics, formed by the further breakdown of microplastic, making up all particles smaller than 100 nanometers. These are much more difficult to study as they are not easy to find. They are also particularly nefarious as they are small enough to crossing the intestinal lining and blood-brain barrier, moving into the blood stream, and at times infiltrating biological membranes of individual cells, where they can disrupt normal body function at a molecular level, interfering with cellular machinery, signalling molecules, and genetic material.
Where is the research? In 2014 there were 57 research papers published containing the term ‘microplastic’, ten years later in 2024 we are tracking towards over 5000 papers published as the field becomes a hotbed of media and academic attention. The study that really opened up our eyes to microplastics in bottled water came out only in 2018, finding on average ~300 microplastic particles in every litre of bottled water. As detection methods have improved the latest findings from a 2024 study show an average of 240,000 MiNaplastic pieces in every litre of bottled of water (save this number for some good dinner party trivia). As research has broadened, so too has the range of sources for MiNaplastics - they are coming from everywhere, via toothbrushes while brushing our teeth and nearly all food packaging containers to the inhalation of particles from car tires driving on pavement and from carpet fibres while walking down your hallway. I would have hoped that there would be at least one benefit to the Barbification of the human body, perhaps an article that shows MiNaplastics as beneficial to us, but guess what, there are none. Current research articles only show a correlation with a broad range of health issues including heart disease, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, even reduced immunity against COVID-19.
I wish there were a fairy tale ending to this narrative, but there is only reality. As builders replace copper with plastic drinking water pipes and the Nestles of the world keep turning profits selling bottled water, the data implicating MiNaplastics in human disease will only continue to grow. We need an adult to step in and say enough is enough. Maybe this is the government, maybe this is the CEO of a major beverage company, or maybe this is you? Until then, we all continue to be a little more Barbie with every sip of water and every bite of food. Perhaps the next time you’re debating whether to pick up a bottle of San Pellegrino in glass or plastic - you’ll remember this post and take a stand with your $3.29.