Going Microplastic-Free Guide
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash.
Yes, you CAN do something about microplastics in your body.
As you may have or have not already known (or had read about on this blog), microplastics are everywhere, and they are killing us in ways we still do not fully understand.
From tricking our bodies into the suppression of important hormones, increasing rates of sperm infertility, and unnaturally affecting our digestive, cardiac, and pulmonary systems, microplastics are a serious threat to our health and wellbeing.
While there is plenty of focus on the effects of plastic and plastic production on the environment, such as the impact on ecosystems, food chains, and climate change, there is surprisingly little public concern in respect to the effects of these microplastics on us - our bodies.
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Read More: What Are Microplastics And Their Health Effects On Humans
However, first step to slowing down and largely eliminating your consumption of microplastics is a change of mindset.
While most news about microplastic is harrowing, whether it be reports on plastic parts-per-million in cloud vapor or the discovery of a plastic bag in the Mariana Trench, there is plenty that you can do to save yourself from a daily dose of plastic.
In this article, we will go over the most effective ways to reduce your daily microplastic intake, starting from the most effective options by means of cost and convenience.
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1. At-home water filtration and non-plastic water bottles.
By far the most common way we consume microplastics is through our water source. A 2018 study by Mason et al. surveyed bottle water around the world and concluded that nearly every single source contained some form of microplastics that were introduced by the bottle filling process, or by the water bottle containers themselves.
A similar study conducted by their team the previous year investigated tap water around the world with similarly alarming rates of microplastics - the US having the highest concentration with 94% of tap water sources containing these particles.
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The most reliable way to remove particles of this size is through a reverse osmosis filtration system. Reverse osmosis, or RO for short, is a common water purification technique that your local water treatment plant might be using today.
Even though the filtration of a good RO filter would be enough to remove most microplastics, most modern homes contain piping that could leech plastic back into your water, whether that be contact with PVC piping, rubber gaskets, or other plastic components.
Read More: What Is Reverse Osmosis, And How Does It Filter Microplastics?
The only way to guarantee the best filtered water is to have an RO system at home. These systems come primarily in two different types - under the sink, connected directly to your incoming water supply, or over the counter in a portable filtration system.
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Product Guide: Top 3 Countertop Reverse Osmosis Microplastic Water Filters in 2024
Product Guide: Top 3 Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Microplastic Water Filters In 2024
When you filter your water, you also want to be sure you are not putting it directly back into a plastic bottle, as you would defeat the purpose of the filtration you just performed. Stainless steel bottles are a great option because the material does not leech into your liquids like plastic, and is not as brittle as a bottle made of glass. The drawback of stainless steel bottles could be the overall weight, but there are plenty of aftermarket bottle strap accessories to make carrying them easier.
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Product Guide: Top 8 Plastic-Free Water Bottles to Ditch Microplastics in 2024
2. Indoor air filtration.
A study in 2017 investigated the presence of airborne microplastics in various working environments around the world and found an incredible amount of particles in nearly every location. The science behind the health implications of microplastics breathed in are even less fully understood, as the definition of 'micro'-plastics is confined to a specific size of particle, of which only the smaller end of the spectrum can be breathed in. There are even smaller particles, 'nano'-plastics that are breathed deep into the lungs and could accumulate even more heavily in persons with ongoing lung conditions or diseases.
As of now, the best we can do about these particles is to eliminate as much as we can from the air we commonly breathe. This can be done with commercial-grade or high-end consumer grade air purification systems with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air)-rated filters.
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Product Guide: Top 5 Microplastic Purifiers For Cleaner Air in 2024
3. Natural fiber bedsheets and clothing.
A recent article in the April 2024 edition of the Environmental International provided the first experimental evidence of dermal bioavailability of toxic chemical additives from microplastics, with a focus on flame retardants from extinguishers. While this article was focused specifically on the plastic added to these chemical flame retardants, it was proof of dermal bioavailability for small microplastics.
This study confirmed the raising suspicion of the ability for humans to absorb small microplastic particles through the skin. The abrasion can be further exacerbated when the contact with these plastics come from daily-used items, such as clothing and bedsheets made from non-natural fibers.
More On Natural Fabrics: Best Natural Fabrics That Reduce Microplastic Absorption
Unfortunately, it can be understandably difficult to completely remove plastic from your wardrobe. However, there are worthwhile tradeoffs that can be made for certain items, such as partial or fully natural-fiber under garments in direct contact with your skin or genitals.
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Product Guide: Top 5 Natural Fiber Underwear To Reduce Microplastic Exposure In 2024
On the other hand, a far easier and perhaps more effective change would be throwing out your old polyester sheets and blankets and opting for non-plastic alternatives. Since the average human will sleep a third of their life, most likely on their own bed, this change to natural fiber bedding is a quick, easy way to reduce your skin contact with plastics.
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Product Guide: Best Alternatives To Plastic-Based Bedding In 2024
4. Cookware - cast iron, stainless steel, wood, and glass.
Finally, one of the last ways plastic leeches into our system is the material of the cookware we use to prepare and store our foods.
Read More: Best Ways To Reduce Microplastics In Food
According to a Science of the Total Environment article in 2022, non-stick teflon pans can release tens of thousands of microplastic particles that can go directly into our tasty meals. Although non-stick is convenient, opting for cast iron and stainless steel pans will remove this exposure from your kitchen.
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Product Guide: Best Alternatives To Toxic Non-Stick Teflon Pans
When it comes to storing and reheating food, glass should be replacing your plastic tupperware options. Some brands include non-plastic lids with their glass tupperware to ensure that food storage is completely plastic-free.
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Product Guide: Top Glass Tupperware Sets To Reduce Microplastics In 2024
Another common plastic kitchen item is the rubber or silicone utensils - these too can leech microplastics into your food under heat and abrasion. Moving towards stainless steel or wood utensils will alleviate this source of plastic.
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Product Guide: Best Alternatives To Plastic Utensils, Cutting Boards, and Strainers
Most reverse osmosis filters are either standalone countertop units or under sink installations.
HEPA filters force air through tiny fibrous mazes to catch unwanted particles, including microplastics.
Even if drinking water is adequately filtered at treatment plants, they can flow through plastic piping before they reach your faucet, leaching microplastics. Image by Tiia Monto, Wikimedia Commons.
Prioritize the most important steps to reducing microplastic intake in order.
Teflon pans shed their non-stick coating made from plastics into food and the air, and should be replaced with pans made from safe non-plastic materials. Photo by Pogrebnoj-Alexandroff, Wikimedia Commons.
Plastic tupperware is incredibly convenient, but will leach microplastics into your stored food and especially when microwaved or reheated. Photo by Kathleen Franklin, Wikimedia Commons.
Silicone is often used for their flexible yet durable properties in kitchen utensils, but can leach microplastics into the food it contacts, especially on hot surfaces.
Wearing synthetic underwear will expose your skin and reproductive organs directly to shedding microplastics that can be absorbed through the skin, especially when sweaty. Photo by Kristen Plastique on Unsplash.
Plastic-based bedding can be a major source of microplastics absorbed through the skin when contacted directly for 8 hours a night. Photo by Christopher Jolly on Unsplash.