Things You Do Everyday That Are Bombarding Your Body With Microplastics
With more and more studies being done on the harms of microplastics (and now nano-plastics), it’s time to take a good, hard look at our everyday habits and get rid of the ones that aren’t suiting us anymore.
(info about destructiveness of plastic particles in body)
Drinking from Plastic Water Bottles
Starting strong with a cultural norm - drinking water from plastic bottles. Not only do those bottles shed constantly, they are exposed to cycles of heat and cooling through storage and shipping. Heat creates more shedding, so those bottles sitting in a warehouse getting hot are actually flooding that water with micro and nano-plastics. New studies are showing just how pervasive nano-plastics are when it comes to plastic water bottles. It’s enough to want to never touch a plastic water bottle again.
While microplastics in drinking water from the tap is a concern, studies have found that the amount of microplastics in a human who drinks from bottled sources is substantially higher than those who drink from a tap. In fact, it’s alarmingly high. Those who drink primarily from plastic bottles had a whopping 90,000 more particles in their body PER YEAR than someone who drinks tap. The baseline consumption for tap water-drinkers is 4,000 particles per year.
90,000 more particles per year. Water is the highest sources of microplastics in human bodies, so we need to take every step to reduce our intake.
As I’ve started implementing this into my lifestyle, I’ve realized just how difficult it is to avoid plastic water packaging. If you buy a jug of spring water at the store to pour in your glass water bottle…it’s still coming from a plastic jug.
What can you do about it?
The most logical solution (to me) seems to be drinking water from that tap that has been filtered using an at-home system. There are options that filter chlorine, chemicals, metals, and microplastics from your water. These can be found in glass and metal variations. I have even seen water filter jugs with minerals inside to create proper mineral water (though I haven’t been able to try it yet)!
You can also use filtering water bottles as a convenient option. I personally use the GoZero bottle by Philips for filtering tap water on the go:
Philips GoZero stainless steel charcoal-filter water bottle can be used to filter tap water.
This is my daily, emotional-support water bottle. I love that it is stainless steel - whereas most filtering bottles are made entirely of plastic. You can buy replaceable filters for this water bottle to keep on hand for whenever you need to change it out.
I also keep products like the LifeStraw on hand for filtering water in emergencies. The LifeStraw removes 99% of microplastics from your water!
LifeStraw actually makes their own filtering water bottles as well. Some are plastic, but you can find the stainless steel version here:
LifeStraw stainless steel filtering water bottles - remove 99% of microplastics from your drinking water!
Using a Keurig Machine
Since microplastics are shed more from heated sources, forcing boiling hot water through a thin plastic cup full of coffee grounds might just be injecting microplastics into your daily cup of coffee.
What can you do about it?
You don’t have to stop drinking coffee entirely - just start being conscious of how you are preparing it. Are you using a traditional coffee machine that fills up a plastic chamber of coffee grounds with hot water and lets it slowly pour out over the plastic lid of the coffee pot? Are you using a pour-over method with a ceramic or glass chamber? Or are you using a french press with a plastic lid? Are you making espresso with a plastic Nespresso pod or a stainless steel machine?
Make your choice based on your preference, but whatever style you choose, find a product with the least amount of plastic possible.
My personal favorite method of making coffee is the Chemex. It is a beautiful piece of equipment, essential to the kitchen of any coffee enthusiast. Pour-over coffee is also stronger and more flavorful than regular drip coffee. (and has more caffeine than espresso!)
The Chemex is a simple, effective way to prepare your coffee without plastic.
Using Disposable Coffee Cups
Disposable coffee cups. Plastic pretending to be paper. These cups are actually harmful in multiple ways because they are paper coated in a plastic film. The inside is plastic-coated, so it is leaking microplastics into your hot coffee. But beyond that, the fact that it’s plastic-coated paper also destroys the ability for it to be recycled. They are also typically topped with a plastic lid, which leaks microplastics as the hot liquid slides across it on its way into your mouth. Either way, its a lose-lose solution.
An environmental nightmare - the plastic coated paper cup that is marketed as eco-friendly.
What can you do about it?
Many coffee shops will allow (or even encourage) the use of your own reusable coffee mug for buying drinks out. Keep at least one reusable coffee mug made from ceramic or stainless steel, whether you have to take your homemade coffee to-go or you like to stop at a local coffee shop to get your fix. Either way, skip the plastic-coated environmental nightmare that is the “paper” coffee cup.
Eating with Plastic Utensils
You might be noticing a trend here….we need to avoid putting plastic in our mouths, period. When you plunge that plastic spoon into your steaming hot soup, stir it around before bringing it up to your lips, you’re stirring microplastic particles into your food.
What can you do about it?
If you are often on-the-go and need to eat while you are out, invest in a set of bamboo or stainless steel travel utensils. Keep them in your car if that helps you remember them. When you order take-out, do not use the plastic utensils - in fact, ask them not to include them in your food at all. That way, you aren’t tempted to use the plastic ones to prevent them from being “wasted.” (I am guilty of that) If you make your own food at home, try getting a lunch box that has utensils attached to the box, so it’s easier to carry (and not forget). There are plenty of non-plastic options out there for lunchboxes.
Using Mainstream Toothpastes
Not long ago, people started to realize that microbeads in toothpastes and other personal care products were adding microplastics to our water supply. Some companies, under pressure from activist groups, have removed microbeads from products like toothpaste. However, many of the ingredients they use in toothpaste are still plastic-based. While we aren’t supposed to intentional swallow toothpaste, it’s impossible for none of that to get ingested or absorbed. For one, we are encouraged not to rinse our mouths after brushing, so whatever particles remain on our teeth will slowly be ingested alongside out saliva over time.
What can you do about it?
Always read the ingredients! Check the ingredients on your personal care products and watch for plastic-based compounds. One of my personal favorites is the nanohydroxyapatite toothpaste by Boka. I also avoid big-name brands from companies like Unilever and Proctor and Gamble, as they are the frontrunners in dodging regulations to cut costs.
I love this Coco Ginger flavor from Boka, it tastes amazing! I just love the taste of ginger.
Eating Seafood
This might come as a shock, but there is a ton of plastic in our oceans. Not only is it in our water supply from the products in our homes, it’s quite literally degrading from litter and trash sitting in the ocean. As the plastic is degrading in the sun and salty water, microplastics are shedding, but plastic items are also coming apart, leaving little (or not so little) chunks of plastic floating in the ocean for fish to eat. Microplastics have been found in 99% of tissue samples tested from fish. It was recently found that microplastic particles are even present in the deep ocean, punctuating just how pervasive this problem is.
How does this impact you? When the fish you are eating are literally eating and breathing plastic particles for their entire lives, you end up taking on those particles. Micro and nano-plastic particles are not broken down by our bodies - so the plastic ingested by animals that we eat ends up getting stored in our own bodies. The highest concentration of microplastics is actually found in shellfish, particularly those like oysters and clams, which are filter feeders.
Filter-feeders such as clams and oysters are among the highest in microplastic concentration. Small fish also have a larger concentration than large fish.
What can you do about it?
Eat seafood sparingly. This is an easy solution if you are already vegetarian/vegan - problem solved. But for most of us who do eat seafood on a fairly regular basis, it might be time to cut that down. Reducing our consumption of seafood also helps reduce demand for seafood products, which can help combat overfishing.
Drinking Beer
Now this one might not go over well…but unfortunately, drinking beer is one of the greatest sources of human microplastic consumption. Beer is actually the second greatest source of microplastics, behind water itself. This is likely because of the water content and the industrial brewing process itself. Machines often have plastic parts that come into direct contact with the things they’re producing, shedding particles in the process.
What can you do about it?
If you do drink beer, make sure you are using a glass container (bottle, pint glass…). It would probably be beneficial to get small-batch brews from a microbrewery rather than those that come from a massive factory. As a general rule, equipment in factories is often responsible for shedding plastic into the products they manufacture and package.
I’ve yet to find a brewery that filters microplastics out of their water - but if you must drink beer in the meantime, use glass containers. No red solo cups.
What sources of microplastics are you most worried about in your life? What are you doing to minimize your exposure? Share your tips with us!