The first-of-its-kind report draws on more than 350 peer-reviewed studies to conclude human microplastic exposure is ‘continuous and global’
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A new major report has revealed the vast scale of microplastic exposure in daily life, in what experts are calling a ‘microplastic storm’ from overlooked and emerging sources.
Funded by Plastic Soup Foundation and The Flotilla Foundation, Exploring Everyday Microplastic Exposures is the first-of-its-kind report, drawing on more than 350 peer-reviewed studies.
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The findings deduced that a microplastic exposure crisis is occurring by mapping microplastic release across five categories of everyday life: outdoor sources, indoor environments, children’s products, healthcare and personal care, and food and drink. By highlighting a continuous flow of particles generated from overlooked and emerging sources, the report reframes the plastics crisis as a systemic exposure issue embedded across modern society.
Among the report’s findings is evidence that emerging climate interventions could significantly worsen microplastic exposure. For example, stratospheric aerosol injection – a form of geoengineering to cool the planet down – involves releasing vast quantities of particles high into the atmosphere.
Already, multiple patents exist describing the release of particles, including micro-sized polymeric particles, at altitudes of up to 20 km in the atmosphere, creating a potentially large-scale source of airborne microplastics and fallout.
In hospitals, plastic particles may be introduced into the body via devices and treatments, with microplastic fallout in operating rooms recorded at up to 9,258 particles per square meter during a single shift. Cardiac catheters, silicone breast implants, orthopaedic implants or intravenous fluid were all cited as sources with the potential of inadvertently dosing patients with microplastics.
As well as this, premature babies fed intravenously in neonatal units are estimated to receive up to 115 microplastic particles over a 72-hour feeding period from the infusion circuits alone. Baby formula intake exposes babies to microplastics at levels from less than one to 17 microplastics per gram of formula, with packaging types playing a role in releasing the observed microplastics.
Children’s products are also of significant concern – building bricks, baby play mats and other products for children can release polypropylene, polyethylene and PVC into a child’s living environment. As children naturally ingest more settled dust during play and breathe in more air per kilogram bodyweight, their exposure is proportionally higher than adults.
Another unexpected indoor exposure is via paint. Plastic is the main component of many paint products, and such paint emits microplastics when it wears down or when old layers are scraped off. A single coat applied across 100 square meters is estimated to contain between 17 and 68 quadrillion polymeric particles.
‘This report highlights the hidden reality of plastic in our lives. Many people still think of plastic pollution as something that affects oceans and beaches, not their own health. But our living environments themselves are microplastic generators, and exposure is happening all the time, in ways most people have never considered,’ said Founder of Plastic Soup Foundation Maria Westerbos.
‘This doesn’t have to be a story of helplessness. Understanding where exposure comes from empowers people to make more informed choices about the products they use and to demand more from the governments and industries responsible for putting those products into our lives.’
The insidious role of microplastics
Less than five millimetres in size, microplastics are small but can wreak mighty havoc upon the environment. It is estimated that more than 125 trillion of these particles have accumulated in the ocean – from surface to seabed – and they have also been detected in soils, rivers, lakes, animals and the human body. Studies in animals and human cells suggest microplastic exposure could be linked to cancer, heart attacks and reproductive problems. So pervasive are microplastics that scientists estimate we consume about a credit card’s worth each week.
Ultimately, decreasing microplastics in the environment will require intense action from corporations and regulators alike. The US and Europe have banned cosmetics containing plastic microbeads, and in 2018, California became the first US state to require testing for microplastics in drinking water.
In 2023, the EU adopted restrictions on microplastics intentionally added to products, and the US federal government has set a goal of eliminating single-use plastics from all operations by 2035.
However, some experts argue that such measures are not sufficient in a world where at least 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually – an amount expected to triple by 2060.
