Microplastics

What it is

• Nanoplastics are even smaller than microplastics, typically less than one micron in size.
• Microplastics can be made at that size, or form when larger discarded plastics break down.
• The FDA notes there are currently no standard definitions for the size of microplastics or nanoplastics.

Source: FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗

How people are exposed, and how it may affect health

• The FDA says people may be exposed through the air, food, and skin absorption from personal care products.
• Their small size allows them to be ingested, absorbed, or inhaled, according to Mayo Clinic.
• NIEHS says how they affect health after entering the body is not well understood.

Sources: FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗ · Mayo Clinic: What's lurking in your body? Mayo probes health risks of tiny plastic particles - Mayo Clinic News Network ↗ · National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH): Environmental Factor - March 2024: Call for applications about microscopic plastics, health effects ↗

What the research has found so far

• NIEHS reports microplastics have been found in human lung, blood, and placenta tissues, and in breastmilk.
• The FDA says they have been found in human urine, stool, blood, and organs.
• The FDA says many studies found microplastics in foods such as salt, seafood, sugar, beer, bottled water, honey, milk, and tea.
• The FDA says current evidence does not show that levels found in foods pose a risk to human health.
• The FDA says many studies used methods of variable, questionable, or limited accuracy.

Sources: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH): Environmental Factor - March 2024: Call for applications about microscopic plastics, health effects ↗ · FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗

On microplastics and aging, PubMed lists 7 trials in people, 96 studies that watched people over time, 1,717 animal and lab studies. See the counts and searches

Side effects and risks

• The FDA says not enough is known about the health effects of microplastics, and more research is needed.
• A study in a medical journal linked microplastics found in blood vessel plaques to a possible higher risk of heart attack, stroke or death.
• NIEHS says how microplastics affect health is not well understood.

Sources: FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗ · Mayo Clinic: What's lurking in your body? Mayo probes health risks of tiny plastic particles - Mayo Clinic News Network ↗ · National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH): Environmental Factor - March 2024: Call for applications about microscopic plastics, health effects ↗

Who may be more affected

A Mayo Clinic researcher raised concerns about the long-term effects of microplastics, particularly for young people. The FDA says some studies suggest there may be effects on human health from exposure.

Sources: Mayo Clinic: What's lurking in your body? Mayo probes health risks of tiny plastic particles - Mayo Clinic News Network ↗ · FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗

Approval and legal status

The FDA says no regulations authorize microplastics or nanoplastics as ingredients added to foods. The FDA says their presence in food does not violate its rules unless it creates a health concern. The FDA says materials that touch food must be authorized by the FDA before being marketed for that use. The FDA says no regulatory levels are set for microplastics or nanoplastics in drinking water. The FDA plans 2026 research on methods to detect and measure microplastics in human food.

Sources: FDA: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Foods ↗ · FDA: Human Foods Program 2026 Priority Deliverables ↗

Questions to ask your doctor

• Is my exposure to microplastics something to think about, given my health?
• Is there a test that measures it, and would it tell us anything useful?
• Which ways of lowering exposure are worth the effort, and which aren't?
• Is anything in my home, work or diet likely to be a big source?