Shocking number of microplastics you may be inhaling every day

Nowhere is safe from microplastics.

A new study has found that humans inhale far more microplastics than previously thought, more than 70,000 particles each day in an indoor environment — and many of them are tiny enough to penetrate our organ tissue.

Microplastics are tiny particles less than 5 millimeters in size that break off from larger plastic items and industrial waste over time. 

Ubiquitous in today’s world, they are found in the beauty products we apply, the cleaning supplies we use, the food we eat, and the air we breathe.

Research suggests that these particles, smaller than a grain of rice, can harm reproductive, digestive, and respiratory health, potentially leading to colon and lung cancer.

And this latest study suggests we may be breathing in much more of the toxic dust than we realize.

Published in the journal PLOS One, scientists from the Université de Toulouse in France set out to determine precisely how many microplastics we inhale every day.

From their findings, the team estimates that adults inhale, on average, 71,000 microplastic particles from these two everyday environments every single day.

This average is 100 times higher than the previous extrapolated estimates.

“People spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, including homes, workplaces, shops, transportation, etc., and all the while they are exposed to microplastic pollution through inhalation without even thinking about it,” study authors noted.

It gets worse.

A whopping 94% of these particles were found to be less than 10 micrometers wide, making them small enough to embed in lung tissue when inhaled.

Scientists have found microplastics in human lungs, livers, kidneys, hearts, blood, testicles, and even breast milk — and some researchers uncovered an entire spoonful of them in human brains.

Studies suggest that their interaction with endocrine disruptors — chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system — can lead to dry skin, redness, and irritation.

Additionally, they may alter the gut microbiome, potentially causing bloating, stomach discomfort, and digestive issues.

Hormonal disruptions caused by the chemicals in microplastics can also lead to weight fluctuations and digestive issues.

While these tiny plastic particles can’t be avoided entirely, there are ways to limit exposure.

A report published earlier this year found that switching from bottled water to filtered tap water could reduce microplastic intake by about 90% — from 90,000 to 4,000 particles each year.

In addition to bottled water and other single-use plastics, alcohol and seafood are significant dietary sources of microplastics.

Experts say it’s crucial to stop the practice of heating food in plastic, as doing so can release up to 4.22 million microplastic particles per square centimeter in just a few minutes.