Microplastics in your brain

After reading the most recent scientific paper on effects of plastics on our brain I announced to the household that we are ridding ourselves of all plastic eating material. Our kids are either old enough to not drop plates or too young to need plates. So it sounded like a safe and effective way of ridding our lives of plastics. Well, I was right in my children's ability, two weeks in and no shatters. But as I started to do research for this blog, I realized that I have made zero dent in our exposure to plastics. Let me explain.

As you all know, and probably some more than I do, plastics are artificially made material made from fossil fuels.; coal, crude oil and natural gas. These materials are then broken down into smaller particles. The most common are ethane and propane, which in turn are further modified into polymers that form very stable chemical structures. Plastics are unique in that they are very easy to shape, are stable and they take many years to break down, like 500-1000 years. They are also relatively cheap to make.

Plastics less than 5 millimeter are referred to as microplastics. And those smaller than 1000 nanometer are referred to as nanoplastics.

Plastics are so versatile that they are essentially used in everything. Some may be your usual suspects like plastic bottles and plates, but I was quite surprised to find that the list is much more comprehensive and intrusive in our daily life than I had expected. Here is a sample:

• microplastics are used as exfoliants in body wash, facial wash, toothpaste and even make ups.

• micro and nano plastics are the building blocks of most clothing, specially the athletic clothes that are sweat proof. Exceptions are 100% cotton, wool or hemp fabrics. I do not think I own a single clothing that matches this criteria.

• tires and asphalts

• tap and filtered water (nanoplastics are too small to be filtered)

• all kinds of food from meat to produce (the plastic in soil is embedded in things that grow on it)

• the obvious plastic house wears that we all own

• air we breath

While most people think of plastics as the big objects we can see, like water bottles, the bigger problem are the micro and nano plastics. These are either found in products like clothing or gradually degraded from bigger plastics by natural forces like wind, water, heat and sun. Micro and nano plastics enter the water supply via our waste products like washing machines, dishwashers and fresh water waste. Unfortunately most nanoplastics are too small to be filtered, so they renter our food and air supply.

Food supply: we ingest micro and nanoplastics either directly or indirectly. Directly is through plastic containers that gradually break down and seep into our food. Body products like toothpaste, toothbrush and clothing can also expose us to direct ingestion of micro and nanoplastics. We also indirectly ingest microplastics through food and water. As plastics enter the soil and water, plants and animals that feed on those soils and waters digest them, we then digest those fruits, vegetables and meat.

Air Supply: there is now evidence that we also inhale micro and nano plastics. In fact autopsies have detected significant concentration of micro and nano plastics in our lungs and olfactory bulb (a small structure in our nose that helps with smell). Some sources of aerosolized plastics are:

• tire break down

• clothing degradation and washing process (fleece is notorious for this)

• ocean and fresh water waves create bubbles that trap and then release microplastics, there is evidence that these aerosolized plastics can travel thousands of miles

• landfills and construction material (slow degradation and release into the air)

• break down of plastic objects like house wear

It is obvious that plastics have become ubiquitous in our life. So, although I felt all organic and healthy by throwing away my kids plastic lunch box, I really accomplished very little in terms of our overall exposure. And after learning how dependent we have become on micro and nano plastics, I doubt there is much I can do to reduce our exposure.

But what is the effect of the plastic world on our health? And I want to be clear here. I am purely talking about the effect of plastics inside our body. I am not talking about effect on marine life, pollution, atmosphere or any other topic.

We know that micro and nano plastics deposit in our organs including the lungs, liver, kidney, reproductive organs and even the brain. In fact a recent study showed that brain of people with dementia have significantly more plastic deposition than age matched post mortem analysis of those without dementia. There is also growing evidence that plastic deposition causes oxidative stress and inflammation in the surrounding tissue. But these are observations, not causation.

There is currently no actual evidence that these changes are a cause and effect and plastics lead to actual disease in humans. What is more worrisome is that a new study that compared levels of microplastics in various organs from 2016 to 2024 in post mortem samples of data registry in New Mexico, showed a 50% increase in amount of microplastic deposits across the board in liver, kidney and brain. In addition, there are animal studies that do show tissue damage and inflammation with exposure to higher levels of plastic.

So, what does this all mean and what can we do about it?

I think the most logical conclusion, based on current scientific evidence, is that our exposure to plastics continues to increase with no end in site. And although there is no "gold standard" experiments to demonstrate a direct causality between microplastics and human health, we can expect some level of impact. Will plastics be as hazardous to our health as smoking is another question. Based on current data I think it is safe to presume plastics do cause some level of damage to our cells and organs, will it lead to actual disease like cancer or inflammation is yet to be determined and only time will tell.

To end, this was a very educational blog for me. I have realized that a plastic free modern world may be unattainable. So unless I want to pack up and live in a remote area away from all civilization, which I do not, I will try to reduce my exposure where I can; plastic plates, cups and water bottles are gone. But I accept the risk where I can not or I value the benefits too much, like driving my car, using my medical devices and even running with my synthetic running shirts.

Disclaimer: And so I do not get any angry emails from wild life enthusiast, this blog is purely for our current understanding of plastic and human health, I fully accept and understand the risk of plastics to our marine life and air quality, but that is a discussion way beyond my expertise. I still promote reducing plastic use where we can, and accept its use where we can not.