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{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Environment-Plastics==
|title=Environment-Plastics==
|description=Information about plastics and the environment
|keywords=micro plastics, brain, organs, plastic pollution,
|image=File:Plastic pollution Guardian.jpg
|image_width=300
|image_height=200
}}
<gallery mode="packed-hover">
File:Plastic pollution Guardian.jpg
File:Micro Beads Common Dreams.jpg
File:Micro Plastics Brain NYT.jpg
</gallery>
See improvements you could make on this page? Go ahead [[Special:CreateAccount|become a member]] and make your changes.
=====Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure?=====
[https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240110-microplastics-are-everywhere-is-it-possible-to-reduce-our-exposure by Isabelle Gerretsen 6/3/24 BBC]
Microplastics have been found on every part of the planet. The tiny particles of this anthropogenic material have been found buried in Antarctic sea ice, inside the guts of marine animals inhabiting the deepest ocean trenches, and in drinking water around the world.
=====Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you?=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00405-8 by Max Kozlov 11/2/25 nature]
A sliver of human brain in a small vial starts to melt as lye is added to it. Over the next few days, the caustic chemical will break down the neurons and blood vessels within, leaving behind a grisly slurry containing thousands of tiny plastic particles.
=====Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?=====
[https://e360.yale.edu/features/plastic-waste-atmosphere-climate-weather by Nicola Jones 1/2/23 YaleEnvironment]
Plastic has become an obvious pollutant over recent decades, choking turtles and seabirds, clogging up our landfills and waterways. But in just the past few years, a less-obvious problem has emerged. Researchers are starting to get concerned about how tiny bits of plastic in the air, lofted into the skies from seafoam bubbles or spinning tires on the highway, might potentially change our future climate.
=====Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1 by Alexander J. Nihart 3/2/25 nature medicine]
Rising global concentrations of environmental microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) drive concerns for human exposure and health outcomes. Complementary methods for the robust detection of tissue MNPs, including pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, confirm the presence of MNPs in human kidney, liver and brain.
=====How microplastics are infiltrating the food you eat=====
[https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230103-how-plastic-is-getting-into-our-food by Isabelle Gerretsen 3/1/23 BBC]
Microplastics have infiltrated every part of the planet. They have been found buried in Antarctic sea ice, within the guts of marine animals inhabiting the deepest ocean trenches, and in drinking water around the world. Plastic pollution has been found on beaches of remote, uninhabited islands and it shows up in sea water samples across the planet. One study estimated that there are around 24.4 trillion fragments of microplastics in the upper regions of the world's oceans. 
=====Microplastics infiltrate human organs, raising health concerns=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastics-infiltrate-human-organs-raising-health-concerns by EHN Curators 27/2/25 EHN]
In 2024, toxicologist Matthew Campen discovered that the adult human brain contains about a disposable spoon's worth of plastic, a 50% increase from eight years prior.
Studies have found microplastics in human tissues such as placentas, breast milk, and semen, suggesting widespread infiltration of our bodies.
Research indicates potential links between microplastic exposure and health issues like cardiovascular disease, reduced sperm count, and certain cancers.
=====Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us?=====
[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/microplastics-are-in-our-bodies-how-much-do-they-harm-us by Laura Parker 8/5/23 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC]
A few years ago, as microplastics began turning up in the guts of fish and shellfish, the concern was focused on the safety of seafood. Shellfish were a particular worry, because in their case, unlike fish, we eat the entire animal—stomach, microplastics and all. In 2017, Belgian scientists announced that seafood lovers could consume up to 11,000 plastic particles a year by eating mussels, a favorite dish in that country.
=====How do microplastics impact our gut health?=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastics-and-gut-health by Allison Guy 6/10/23 EHN]
Nowadays, nearly all of our meals come seasoned with a flurry of tiny plastic particles and fibers. Scientists don’t know exactly how much we consume, but estimates range from five grams a week – the weight of a credit card – down to a minute fraction of that. Weight, however, isn’t all that matters. Exceptionally tiny fragments, as small or even smaller than a single bacterium, can penetrate human cells and pass from the gut to the bloodstream.
=====Microplastics block blood flow in the brain, mouse study reveals=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00178-0 by Smriti Mallapaty 23/1/25 nature]
For the first time, scientists have tracked microplastics moving through the bodies of mice in real time1. The tiny plastic particles are gobbled up by immune cells, travel through the bloodstream and eventually become lodged in blood vessels in the brain. It’s not clear whether such obstructions occur in people, say researchers, but they did seem to affect the mice’s movement.
=====How a microplastics researcher avoids plastic in daily life=====
[https://www.ehn.org/how-a-microplastics-researcher-avoids-plastic-in-daily-life by HN Curators 23/7/25 EHN]
Plastic fragments have infiltrated air, water, soil, and food chains worldwide, entering human bodies through what we eat, drink, and breathe. Research shows they lodge in vital organs and can disrupt hormones, impair fertility, and fuel inflammation, yet their long-term health impacts remain poorly understood.
=====The distribution of subsurface microplastics in the ocean=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08818-1 by Shiye Zhao 30/4/25 nature]
Marine plastic pollution is a global issue, with microplastics (1 µm–5 mm) dominating the measured plastic count1,2. Although microplastics can be found throughout the oceanic water column3,4, most studies collect microplastics from surface waters (less than about 50-cm depth) using net tows5. Consequently, our understanding of the microplastics distribution across ocean depths is more limited.
=====Microplastic research must consider microbes=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-01960-6 by Nature Microbiology 5/3/25 nature microbiology]
It is increasingly clear that microplastic pollution can be detrimental to human, animal and environmental health. More research is needed to determine if and how our microbial partners are also negatively impacted, and what this means for host and ecosystem health.
=====What scientists have learned from 20 years of microplastics research=====
[https://grist.org/science/20-years-microplastics-research-pollution-health-environment/ by
Joseph Winters 20/9/24 Grist]
Twenty years ago, a team of U.K. scientists sounded the alarm on a then-underappreciated problem: the breakdown of plastic litter into small, even microscopic, fragments. While many previous reports had documented the buildup of plastic bottles and bags in the natural environment, much less attention had been paid to what the scientists dubbed “microplastics.”
=====Microplastics and pollution combine to become much more toxic: Study=====
[https://www.ehn.org/are-microplastics-toxic by Krystal Vasquez 18/4/22 EHN]
Although the dangers of both microplastics and harmful compounds have been studied individually, few researchers have look at their combined effect. This study is also unique in that the researchers tested these polluted plastic particles on human cells—most previous research has focused on the impacts on marine life.
=====Who Said Recycling Was Green? It Makes Microplastics By the Ton=====
[https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16052023/recycling-plastic-microplastics-waste/ by James Bruggers 16/5/23 Inside Climate News]
A study finds one plastics recycling plant in the U.K. produces as much as 3 million pounds of microplastics a year—and that’s with filtering.
=====Microplastics generated when opening plastic packaging=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61146-4 by Zahra Sobhani 19/3/20 scientific reports]
Millions of tonnes of plastics have been released into the environment. Although the risk of plastics to humans is not yet resolved, microplastics, in the range of 1 μm - 5 mm, have entered our bodies, originating either from ingestion via the food chain or from inhalation of air.
=====Microplastic particles in human blood and their association with coagulation markers=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-81931-9 by Dong-Wook Lee 6/12/24 scientific reports]
Recent studies have indicated potential health risks associated with microplastics (MPs) exposure, including alterations in blood coagulation homeostasis. This cross-sectional study aimed to quantitatively examine MPs in human blood and assess their association with coagulation markers.
=====Microplastic hotspots mapped across the Southern Ocean reveal areas of potential ecological impact=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79816-y by Aidan Hunter 30/12/24 Scientific reports]
Marine microplastic is pervasive, polluting the remotest ecosystems including the Southern Ocean. Since this region is already undergoing climatic changes, the additional stress of microplastic pollution on the ecosystem should not be considered in isolation.
=====Stand Up to Plastic=====
[https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/california/stories-in-california/stop-plastic-waste/ by stories in California 5/5/25 The Nature Conservacy]
Microplastics are largely invisible to the naked eye, but they pose a major threat to people and the planet. These tiny fragments of plastic are less than five millimeters in diameter but collectively, they make up about a third of the plastic in our oceans. Microplastics have been found from the heights of Mt. Everest to the deepest ocean trenches.
=====Food contact articles as source of micro- and nanoplastics: a systematic evidence map=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-025-00470-3 by Lisa Zimmermann 25/5/25 npj]
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in foodstuffs lead to widespread human exposure and are often linked to environmental contamination. However, the role of plastics in food contact articles (FCAs) has received less attention, despite being a known source.
=====Environmental impacts of biodegradable microplastics=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00127-0 by Zhengyin Piao 27/9/24 nature chemical engineering]
Biodegradable plastics, perceived as ‘environmentally friendly’ materials, may end up in natural environments. This impact is often overlooked in the literature due to a lack of assessment methods.
=====You’re eating, drinking, and breathing microplastics. Now what?=====
[https://massivesci.com/articles/microplastic-straws-single-use-plastic-pollution-ban-canada/ by Anna Robuck 14/6/19 MASSIVE SCIENCE]
A new study led by Kieran D. Cox and researchers at the University of Victoria in British Columbia confirms a logical but cringe-worthy conclusion: humans are consuming plastic. The researchers estimate that humans are eating about 250 pieces of microplastic per day, or roughly 94,000 microplastics in a given year. The average amount consumed varies with age and gender, but the basic premise remains.
=====The Plastics Crisis: A Neuropsychiatric Problem Hidden in Plain Sight=====
[https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-plastics-crisis-a-neuropsychiatric-problem-hidden-in-plain-sight by Elizabeth Ryznar 3/9/24 Psychiatric Times]
The impact of plastics on health is an area of increasing concern. Plastics specifically affect brain health and development, which is why psychiatry must pay attention to the growing plastics crisis.
=====Microplastic pollution found in insect casing from 1971=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01265-y by Shamini Bundell 17/4/25 nature]
Tiny particles of plastic are everywhere today, but a discovery in a museum collection proves that this isn’t a new phenomenon. While combing through drawers of caddisfly specimens, researchers found evidence of microplastic particles being used as a building material by caddisfly larvae as far back as the 1970s and 1980s.
=====International Conference on Microplastics
January 11-14, 2026
Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico =====
[https://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/research/areas/cmbm/mnp-conf/ by COLLEGE OF PHARMACY]
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs & NPs) are a growing environmental and human health concern. These tiny plastic fragments are ubiquitous, contaminating our food, water, and air. While research is ongoing, the potential health risks of human exposure to MPs & NPs remain largely unknown.
=====Optical trapping stability of different irregularly shaped microplastic particles=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02571-1 by Noorulhoda Kazemi 22/5/25 scientific reports]
Plastic pollution has become a major environmental issue. Waste degrades into microplastics and nanoplastics, which contaminate water, soil, and air, and affect ecosystems and food sources.
=====How New Jersey’s towns are tackling microplastic pollution from construction=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastic-pollution-construction-new-jersey by María Paula Rubiano 3/6/25 EHN]
About a year ago, while scrolling on Facebook, retired NBC reporter Brian Thompson saw something that shook him. A woman named Sherri Lilienfeld shared photos of her front lawn covered in at least two inches of what, at first glance, looked like pristine white snow. It was not. It was plastic dust from a nearby construction site, where workers had been cutting up plastic building materials out in the open.
=====Potential toxicity of polystyrene microplastic particles=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64464-9 by Jangsun Hwang 30/4/20 Scientific reports]
Environmental pollution arising from plastic waste is a major global concern. Plastic macroparticles, microparticles, and nanoparticles have the potential to affect marine ecosystems and human health.
=====Health impacts of microplastic exposure=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03388-7 by Karen O’Leary 13/12/24 naturemedicine]
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are everywhere — the oceans, air, soil and food supply — but evidence of their effects on human tissues and organs has been limited mostly to preclinical analyses. In March, a prospective observational study examined carotid plaque specimens from 257 people who underwent a surgical procedure to unblock arteries — and identified MNPs (specifically, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride) in the carotid artery plaques of more than half of all participants.
=====Currently monitored microplastics pose negligible ecological risk to the global ocean=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79304-z by Ricardo Beiras 17/12/20 Scientific reports]
Given the rise in plastic production, microplastics (MP) dominate marine debris, and their impact on marine ecosystems will likely increase. However a global quantitative assessment of this risk is still lacking. We conducted an ecological risk assessment of MP in the global ocean by comparing the thresholds of biological effects with the probability of exposure to those concentrations, according to plastic density data adjusted to a log-normal distribution.
=====Microplastic in angling baits as a cryptic source of contamination in European freshwaters=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-90468-0 by Aline Reis de Carvalho 27/5/21 Scientific reports]
High environmental microplastic pollution, and its largely unquantified impacts on organisms, are driving studies to assess their potential entry pathways into freshwaters. Recreational angling, where many anglers release manufactured baits into freshwater ecosystems, is a widespread activity with important socio-economic implications in Europe. It also represents a potential microplastic pathway into freshwaters that has yet to be quantified.
=====Chemical Impact: Microplastic pollution more complex than we think, says new research=====
[https://www.michiganpublic.org/environment-science/2021-05-04/chemical-impact-microplastic-pollution-more-complex-than-we-think-says-new-research by  Sharon Oosthoek 4/5/21 Michigan Public]
Microplastic pollution has been building up in the Great Lakes for at least four decades, but our understanding of its impact on fish and other aquatic creatures is only just catching up.
=====The world’s plastic pollution crisis, explained=====
[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution by Laura Parker 28/5/25 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC]
Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nations, where garbage collection systems are often inefficient or nonexistent. But the developed world, especially in countries with low recycling rates, also has trouble properly collecting discarded plastics.
=====Steam disinfection releases micro(nano)plastics from silicone-rubber baby teats as examined by optical photothermal infrared microspectroscopy=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-021-00998-x by Yu Su 31/5/22 nature nanotechnology
Silicone-rubber baby teats used to bottle-feed infants are frequently disinfected by moist heating. However, infant exposure to small microplastics (<10 μm) potentially released from the heated teats by hydrothermal decomposition has not been studied, owing to the limitations of conventional spectroscopy in visualizing microplastic formation and in characterizing the particles at the submicrometre scale.
=====Interactions of microplastic debris throughout the marine ecosystem=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0116 by Tamara S. Galloway 20/4/17 nature ecology & evolution]
Marine microscopic plastic (microplastic) debris is a modern societal issue, illustrating the challenge of balancing the convenience of plastic in daily life with the prospect of causing ecological harm by careless disposal.
=====The global biological microplastic particle sink=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-72898-4 by K. Kvale 7/10/20 scientific reports]
Every year, about four percent of the plastic waste generated worldwide ends up in the ocean. What happens to the plastic there is poorly understood, though a growing body of evidence suggests it is rapidly spreading throughout the global ocean. The mechanisms of this spread are straightforward for buoyant larger plastics that can be accurately modelled using Lagrangian particle models.
=====A novel method for preparing microplastic fibers=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/srep34519 by Matthew Cole  3/10/16 nature.com]
Microscopic plastic (microplastic, 0.1 µm–5 mm) is a widespread pollutant impacting upon aquatic ecosystems across the globe. Environmental sampling has revealed synthetic fibers are prevalent in seawater, sediments and biota. However, microplastic fibers are rarely used in laboratory studies as they are unavailable for purchase and existing preparation techniques have limited application.
=====Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/srep33997 by M. L. Taylor 30/9/16 nature.com]
Plastic waste is a distinctive indicator of the world-wide impact of anthropogenic activities. Both macro- and micro-plastics are found in the ocean, but as yet little is known about their ultimate fate and their impact on marine ecosystems.
=====Micro-Plastics, Major Problem=====
[https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/micro-plastics-major-problem/ by Greenpeace Staff 1/12/17 GREEN PEACE]
‘Microplastics’ is a category that scientists use for any plastics smaller than your thumbnail. Because of their small size, it’s almost unbelievable that such tiny plastics can cause so much damage in our vast oceans.
=====Airborne microplastic particles detected in the remote marine atmosphere=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00061-y by Miri Trainic 18/12/20 nature.com]
Anthropogenic pollution from marine microplastic particles is a growing concern, both as a source of toxic compounds, and because they can transport pathogens and other pollutants.
=====At least 36 facilities in Texas identified as potential microplastic polluters, according to new map=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastic-ocean by Cami Ferrell 16/8/24 EHN]
It doesn’t take more than a few steps near the shore to realize plastics have overtaken the beach. Bottles, bags and wrappers litter the sand with no trash cans in sight. Intermingled with the sand, small white disks begin to appear beneath your feet. At first glance, you may assume they are shells, many of the local birds do too. But they are hard plastic pellets, or nurdles.
=====The NOAA NCEI marine microplastics database=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02632-y by Ebenezer S. Nyadjro 20/10/23 scientific data]
Microplastics (<5 mm) pollution is a growing problem affecting coastal communities, marine ecosystems, aquatic life, and human health. The widespread occurrence of marine microplastics, and the need to curb its threats, require expansive, and continuous monitoring.
=====Potential impacts of microplastic pollution on soil–water–plant dynamics=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-93668-0 by Alireza Bakhshaee 21/3/25 scientific reports]
This study was designed to assess the potential impact of microplastic (MP) pollution on soil hydrology, specifically in retaining and releasing moisture. Herein, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) MP of different sizes (i.e., 0.5–1, 1–3, and 3–5 mm) and shapes (i.e., fiber, film, and fragment) were evaluated for their effects on water retention curve (WRC) of sandy loam soil, chosen for its agricultural relevance and widespread environmental presence of HDPE.
=====International Conference on Microplastics
January 11-14, 2026
Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico =====
[https://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/research/areas/cmbm/mnp-conf/ by COLLEGE OF PHARMACY]
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs & NPs) are a growing environmental and human health concern. These tiny plastic fragments are ubiquitous, contaminating our food, water, and air. While research is ongoing, the potential health risks of human exposure to MPs & NPs remain largely unknown.
=====How New Jersey’s towns are tackling microplastic pollution from construction=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastic-pollution-construction-new-jersey by María Paula Rubiano 3/6/25 EHN]
About a year ago, while scrolling on Facebook, retired NBC reporter Brian Thompson saw something that shook him. A woman named Sherri Lilienfeld shared photos of her front lawn covered in at least two inches of what, at first glance, looked like pristine white snow. It was not. It was plastic dust from a nearby construction site, where workers had been cutting up plastic building materials out in the open.
=====We inhale a credit card's worth of microplastics each week=====
[https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0h7vcts/we-inhale-a-credit-card-s-worth-of-microplastics-each-week by Camelia Sadeghzadeh 29/1/24 BBC]
Microplastics or tiny plastic particles are everywhere. Now a new study has found them where they've never been seen before, sitting deep inside human lungs. But what does it mean for our health?
=====International Conference on Microplastics
January 11-14, 2026
Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico =====
[https://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/research/areas/cmbm/mnp-conf/ by COLLEGE OF PHARMACY]
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs & NPs) are a growing environmental and human health concern. These tiny plastic fragments are ubiquitous, contaminating our food, water, and air. While research is ongoing, the potential health risks of human exposure to MPs & NPs remain largely unknown.
=====Optical trapping stability of different irregularly shaped microplastic particles=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02571-1 by Noorulhoda Kazemi 22/5/25 Scientific reports]
Plastic pollution has become a major environmental issue. Waste degrades into microplastics and nanoplastics, which contaminate water, soil, and air, and affect ecosystems and food sources. To elucidate the effects of microplastics on cellular systems, it is essential to comprehend their properties and manipulation at the microscopic scale.
=====How New Jersey’s towns are tackling microplastic pollution from construction=====
[https://www.ehn.org/microplastic-pollution-construction-new-jersey by María Paula Rubiano 30/6/25 EHN]
About a year ago, while scrolling on Facebook, retired NBC reporter Brian Thompson saw something that shook him. A woman named Sherri Lilienfeld shared photos of her front lawn covered in at least two inches of what, at first glance, looked like pristine white snow. It was not. It was plastic dust from a nearby construction site, where workers had been cutting up plastic building materials out in the open.
=====Potential toxicity of polystyrene microplastic particles=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-64464-9 by Jangsun Hwang 30/4/20 Scientific reports]
Environmental pollution arising from plastic waste is a major global concern. Plastic macroparticles, microparticles, and nanoparticles have the potential to affect marine ecosystems and human health. It is generally accepted that microplastic particles are not harmful or at best minimal to human health.
=====Health impacts of microplastic exposure=====
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03388-7 by Karen O’Leary 13/12/24 naturemedicine]
Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are everywhere — the oceans, air, soil and food supply — but evidence of their effects on human tissues and organs has been limited mostly to preclinical analyses. In March, a prospective observational study examined carotid plaque specimens from 257 people who underwent a surgical procedure to unblock arteries — and identified MNPs (specifically, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride) in the carotid artery plaques of more than half of all participants.
=====Chewing gum can shed microplastics into saliva, research finds=====
[https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/health/gum-microplastics-study-wellness by Kristen Rogers 25/3/25 CNN Health]
Are you keeping a mental list of all the sources of microplastics finding their way into your daily life? You may have another culprit to consider: It’s gum, according to a new pilot study that found chewing just one piece can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics into saliva.
=====Stroke patients have high levels of microplastics in the plaque clogging their arteries, researchers find=====
[https://africa.businessinsider.com/health/stroke-patients-have-high-levels-of-microplastics-in-the-plaque-clogging-their/pdp97q4 by Morgan McFall-Johnsen 23/4/25 BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA]
Microplastics and their even tinier cousins, nanoplastics, are probably flowing through your blood and building up in your organs like the lungs and liver.
=====New research suggests that microplastics could be affecting male fertility=====
[https://www.npr.org/2024/05/23/nx-s1-4970522/new-research-suggests-that-microplastics-could-be-affecting-male-fertility by Will Stone 23/5/24 npr]
It's the latest corner of the human body where tiny bits of plastic have turned up — the testicles. Exposure to environmental toxins like microplastics are believed to be contributing to the global decline in sperm count in humans.
=====Are you breathing plastic air at home? Here’s how microplastics are polluting our lungs=====
[https://www.weforum.org/stories/2018/06/microplastic-pollution-in-air-pollutes-our-lungs/ by Kevin Luo 4/6/18 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM]
Research shows that many of the microplastics in our bodies come from the air we breathe – not just from drinking bottled water or eating fish from polluted oceans. Due to their small size, microplastics can be inhaled and may induce a wide range of diseases including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer.
====='Punch in the gut' as scientists find micro plastic in Arctic ice=====
[https://www.reuters.com/article/world/punch-in-the-gut-as-scientists-find-micro-plastic-in-arctic-ice-idUSKCN1V41UY/ by Matthew Green 14/8/19 Reuters]
  Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a U.S.-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution poses to marine life in even the remotest waters on the planet.
=====Your Laundry Sheds Harmful Microfibers. Here’s What You Can Do About It.=====
[https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/reduce-laundry-microfiber-pollution/ by Katie Okamoto 5/8/21 Wirecutter]
My happy place is that chaotic zone of salt and spray where the beach meets the sea, a place of coming and going, flux and exchange. I love to dig my toes into the suctioning sand and feel the swirl of a receding wave. Though often my feet find sharp things in the soft sand—not just gravel and pebbles but also, increasingly and overwhelmingly, plastic. I try to collect the shards, the bits of aquas, whites, and teals, but soon I give up, angry and defeated. There is too much. So much of it is too tiny to hold or even see.
=====Microplastics Pervade Even Top-Quality Streams in Pennsylvania, Study Finds=====
[https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15112022/microplastics-pennsylvania-quality-streams/ by Jon Hurdle 15/11/22 Inside Climate News]
Scientists have recently become aware that tiny fragments of plastic waste are almost everywhere, from the highest and lowest points on the earth’s surface to beer, tap water, living lung tissue and even human fetuses—all the result of the ubiquitous manufacturing of the material and a failure to seek out alternatives.
=====Another Place Plastics Are Turning Up: Organic Fertilizer From Food Waste=====
[https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/04/06/600174922/another-place-plastics-are-turning-up-organic-fertilizer-from-food-waste by Christopher Joyce 6/4/18 npr]
Tiny particles of plastic are showing up all over the world, floating in the ocean, buried in soil, in food and even in beer. Now there's new research that's found microplastics in fertilizer — organic fertilizer from food waste, in fact.
=====The ocean is teeming with microplastic – a million times more than we thought, suggests new research=====
[https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/12/microplastics-ocean-plastic-pollution-research-salps/ by  Johnny Wood 13/12/19 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM]
There could be a million times more microplastics floating around our oceans than previously thought, according to new research suggesting existing studies could have seriously underestimated the problem.
=====This new nanotech could help clean up Earth’s microplastics=====
[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/this-new-nanotech-could-help-clean-up-earths-microplastics by Beryl McCoy 31/7/19 PBS NEWS]
Microplastics are everywhere–the ocean, the air, marine animals, pristine lakes, our food and, as recently discovered, in human excrement. But because they are so tiny — 5 millimeters across or smaller — microplastics are challenging to remove.
=====Study: Plastic Baby Bottles Shed Microplastics When Heated. Should You Be Worried?=====
[https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/10/19/925525183/study-plastic-baby-bottles-shed-microplastics-when-heated-should-you-be-worried by Maria Godoy 19/10/20 npr]
They're in oceans, thanks to plastic garbage. They're in fish. They find their way into the water we drink in various ways, from surface runoff and wastewater effluent to particles deposited from the atmosphere.
=====Plastic junk? Researchers find tiny particles in men's testicles=====
[https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/22/1252831827/microplastics-testicles-humans-health by Will Stone 22/5/24 npr]
Whether it's our bloodstream, brain, or lungs, microscopic fragments of plastic seem to turn up every time scientists scour a new corner of the human body.
=====Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here’s How to Avoid Eating Them.=====
[https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/how-to-avoid-eating-microplastics/ by Katie Okamoto 21/4/25 Wirecutter]
If you’re concerned about the health effects linked to microplastics, the experts I spoke with said that you can lower your risk by taking care of your general health: getting plenty of sleep and exercise, eating a balanced diet, lowering stress, and seeking preventative care.
=====Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised=====
[https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/22/health/plastics-food-wellness-scn by Sandee LaMotte 22/4/24 CNN Health]
Ninety percent of animal and vegetable protein samples tested positive for microplastics, teeny polymer fragments that can range from less than 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) down to 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer), according to a February 2024 study. Anything smaller than 1 micrometer is a nanoplastic that must be measured in billionths of a meter.
=====We got rid of acid rain. Now something scarier is falling from the sky.=====
[https://www.vox.com/climate/401600/pfas-microplastics-pollution-rain by Benji Jones 10/3/25 Vox]
=====4 things you didn’t know about microplastics pollution=====
[https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/04/impact-microplastics-environment-health/ by Andrea Willige 10/4/25 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM]
Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than five millimetres wide. They can be manufactured at that size (primary microplastics), like microbeads used in cosmetics, or result from the degradation of larger plastic items (secondary microplastics).
=====Beer, Drinking Water And Fish: Tiny Plastic Is Everywhere=====
[https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/08/20/636845604/beer-drinking-water-and-fish-tiny-plastic-is-everywhere by Christopher Joyce 20/8/18 npr]
Since modern plastic was first mass-produced, 8 billion tons have been manufactured. And when it's thrown away, it doesn't just disappear. Much of it crumbles into small pieces. 
=====Microplastics research probes the type of dangers they may pose to our bodies=====
=====Microplastics research probes the type of dangers they may pose to our bodies=====
[https://www.npr.org/2024/12/09/nx-s1-5215960/microplastics-research-probes-the-type-of-dangers-they-may-pose-to-our-bodies by Will Stone 9/12/24 npr]
[https://www.npr.org/2024/12/09/nx-s1-5215960/microplastics-research-probes-the-type-of-dangers-they-may-pose-to-our-bodies by Will Stone 9/12/24 npr]
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[https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16052025/texas-microplastic-bay-pollution/ by Dylan Baddour 16/5/25 Inside Climate News]
[https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16052025/texas-microplastic-bay-pollution/ by Dylan Baddour 16/5/25 Inside Climate News]
  The first study of microplastics in Texas coastal sediment was funded through a local environmental activist’s landmark legal victory over plastic pollution, one of many such research projects.
  The first study of microplastics in Texas coastal sediment was funded through a local environmental activist’s landmark legal victory over plastic pollution, one of many such research projects.
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<gallery mode="packed-hover">
File:Plastic pollution Guardian.jpg
File:Micro Beads Common Dreams.jpg
File:Micro Plastics Brain NYT.jpg
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