by NEW YORK (AP) – Microplastics have been found in the ocean and air, in our food and water. They have been found in a wide variety of body tissues, including the heart, liver, kidneys and even testes.
But are they really harming you?
The evidence suggests they could, but it is limited in scope. Some researchers are concerned, but admit there are many unanswered questions.
Marya Zlatnik, an obstetrician based in San Francisco who has studied environmental toxins and pregnancy, studies are seen raising concerns about the impact of microplastics on the health of children and adults.
But it’s a young area of research, and not something she generally discusses with patients.
“I’m not quite sure what to say yet,” Zlatnik said.
Here’s a look at what’s known so far:
WHAT ARE MICROWAVES?
Plastics are man-made materials — many derived from oil or other petroleum products. They can break down into smaller particles, through exposure to heat and weather and even animal digestion.
Researchers are increasingly interested in microplastics, which can be as wide as a pencil eraser or as small as a fraction of the width of a human hair. Nanoplastics, another area of study, is even smaller.
These microplastics have been detected in air, water and soil, milk, and bottled and tap drinking water. They are also found in various foods, including salt, sugar, honey, rice and seafood.
IS A MICROWAVE FOR YOU?
Probably yes.
There is scientific debate about what people inhale and ingest, and it may vary depending on what they eat and drink and where they live, according to researchers.
Some Australian researchers, on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund, calculated in 2019 that many people consume about 5 grams of plastic every week from common food and drinks – the equivalent of a credit card. That estimate is not universally accepted by researchers, but it is commonly cited in news articles.
Researchers are still trying to understand exposure levels, but study after study is finding signs of plastics in the body’s tissues.
“Microplastics have been measured in almost all of the body tissues evaluated,” said Tracey Woodruff, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. Scientists have even reported finding them in the testicles, ovaries and penis.
CAN MICROWAVES HURT YOU?
That is still being sorted out.
A report by the World Health Organization in 2022 concluded that there was no clear risk to human health, based on the available evidence.
It is also not clear that there is a widespread impact on public health, at least in terms of mortality. Death rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke are falling, not rising.
But researchers only started measuring plastics in the human body – and trying to assess the health effects – in recent years. Only part of that work is coming to an end now.
It makes sense that microplastics are harmful because they contain toxic chemicals, said Woodruff, who was part of a team that reviewed nearly 2,000 studies on microplastics at the request of California lawmakers. It could, for example, that microplastics play a role in increasing the incidence of some cancers in young people, she said.
Available information suggests that plastics can trigger inflammation and cause other problematic changes in the body that can, for example, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
A small study in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year suggested, but did not prove, that patients with evidence of plaque in their arteries were at greater risk of death from heart attacks and strokes. But an expert not involved in the research suggested that the study may have exaggerated any effects.
“Although there is still much we do not know about microplastic particles and the harm they cause to humans, I am very concerned about the information that is available today,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Boston College.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A MICROWAVE?
There are ways to reduce exposure to potential microplastics, say researchers.
Take off your shoes before entering the house, to avoid tracking in plastic-laden dust (not to mention germs, dirt and other debris) throughout your home.
Eat foods – especially fresh fruit and vegetables – that you prepare at home.
Never microwave a meal in a plastic tray, no matter what the TV dinner guides say, Woodruff said.
And choose reusable stainless steel or glass water bottles, rather than disposable plastic bottles, she said.
Zlatnik, the midwife, noted that families on limited incomes may have bigger concerns.
“If someone is worried about where their next meal is going to come from, I’m not going to advise them to keep their leftovers in glass containers and not microwave them in plastic,” she said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Section is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science and Media Education Group. The AP is solely responsible for all matters.
