Popular cleaning tool sheds trillions of microplastics monthly

Talk about a dirty little secret.

A popular cleaning tool might leave your counters sparkling, but new research shows that the household staple is quietly shedding trillions of microplastics into the environment every month.

Those pesky particles don’t just disappear. They seep into the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breath. Eventually, they wind up in your body, too — and early evidence suggests they could be doing serious damage once they get there.

Behind the magic

Scientists from the American Chemical Society took a closer look at so-called “magic” sponges, popular for their ability to remove grit and grime using water alone.

Their scrubbing power comes from melamine foam, a lightweight yet durable plastic that acts like ultra-fine sandpaper to gently scrape away dirt and stains from surfaces.

But with every use, the sponges gradually breaks down, shedding tiny fibers called microplastics in their wake.

To get a sense of how much plastic is being released, researchers tested sponges from three popular brands by rubbing them against textured metal to mimic everyday wear and tear.

What they found was far from squeaky clean: a single sponge shed around 6.5 million microplastic fibers per gram of worn-down material.

From there, the team turned to Amazon sales data from August 2023. Assuming the average sponge is worn down by about 10% through regular use, they estimated that 1.55 trillion microplastic fibers could be leached into the environment every month.

And that’s just from one online retailer — meaning the true number of plastic particles being released by “magic” sponges could be much higher.

Tiny particles, big trouble

Once unleashed into nature, microplastics don’t just pollute the planet. They find their way inside our bodies.

These sneaky specks been found in human lungs, livers, kidneys, hearts, brains, placentas and testicles, even breast milk and semen.

Scientists are still figuring out exactly how this affects our health, but early results aren’t encouraging. In January, a major scientific review found that exposure to microplastics may pose risks to the human digestive, reproductive and respiratory systems.

Research suggests that these particles can damage cells, disrupt organs and mess with the immune system. They’ve also been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and certain cancers.

Microplastics may even harm the brain, potentially causing symptoms like fatigue and dizziness. Higher levels have been found in people with dementia.

It’s a huge problem for something so tiny — and a costly one too. One study found microplastics carrying “forever chemicals” in the US food and water supply could be fueling a $250 billion-a-year health crisis.

Scrub smarter

To cut down on microplastics, researchers from the American Chemical Society are urging manufacturers to make denser, tougher sponges that don’t break down so easily.

They also suggest consumers opt for natural cleaning products without plastics and install filters to catch microplastics in their drinking water.

To lower your overall exposure, experts recommend cutting back on single-use plastic bags, bottles, straws and containers.

Choosing clothes made from natural fibers instead of synthetics and avoiding microwaving food or drinks in plastic can also help reduce your risk.

Still worried about those tiny troublemakers?

Special washing machine filters can trap microplastics from your laundry before they hit the environment, and new blood-filtration treatments might even help flush them from your body.