You Are Eating Plastic Every Day. Does It Actually Matter?

Plastic is omnipresent. It can be found inside your bottle, inside the packet in which you get food, inside the containers in which you store your food, and of course inside the dust at your home.

And now we have one more thing to worry about. A part of this plastic might become so microscopic that you wouldn't be able to see it. 

These are called microplastics.

Microplastics are usually defined to be plastic particles not larger than 5 millimeters. They can be obtained from large pieces of plastic that disintegrated over time, synthetic fibers, and packaging of various types. Nanoplastics is the name used for even smaller particles.

Scientists have now detected plastic particles in human stool, blood and other human tissues. So yes, we are being exposed to plastic. 

The question, however, is not simply “Are we eating plastic?” We are.

The much more important question is: Does it actually matter for our health? And this is where I think we need to have a much more sensible conversation. Because there are two extreme reactions to this subject.

One is to say, “It doesn't matter at all.”

The other is to say “We're eating a credit card of plastic every week and we're all being poisoned.”

Neither is a good way to understand the science. The reality is more complicated.

Let's start with what we actually know.

In 2019, a prospective case series study analyzed stool samples of eight healthy individuals from Europe and Asia and detected microplastics in all samples. The researchers were able to find a median of around 20 of these particles per 10g of stool. It is worth noting that the study was small and could not establish the origin or fate of these particles in the body.

This shows a very important result but does not mean that we ingest plastic all the time. Most of the plastics ingested may simply pass through intestines and exit the body with feces.

The World Health Organization has studied this matter as well and reviewed the impact of microplastics in drinking water and concluded that microplastics in drinking water do not pose any risk to health according to the evidence available at that time although there still exists a number of relevant research gaps.

This makes a key difference, as exposure is not equivalent to harm.

That is where science is still developing. But something else has changed the conversation.

Researchers are no longer finding these particles only in food, water or the environment. Researchers are finding them inside people.

A 2022 study detected several types of plastic particles in blood samples from 17 of 22 healthy volunteers whose samples were suitable for analysis. The study demonstrated that some plastic particles can be absorbed into the human bloodstream.

Another study published in 2024 identified microplastics in the blood of 18 out of 20 healthy volunteers. And researchers have reported microplastics in human placenta as well. That sounds frightening.

But again, we need to be careful. Finding something in the body tells us that exposure is happening. It does not automatically tell us that the substance is causing disease.

This is one of the biggest mistakes we make when talking about emerging science.

Detection is not the same as toxicity. Association is not the same as causation.

And a laboratory finding is not automatically the same thing as a clinically meaningful risk to every person.

So why are scientists concerned? Because plastic isn't simply one substance. 

Different plastics contain different polymers, additives and chemicals. Some plastic products can contain substances that have biological effects including certain endocrine disrupting chemicals.

There is also the physical question of the particles themselves. What happens when very small particles interact with our cells?

• Can some particles cross biological barriers?

• Can they trigger inflammation?

• Can they interact with the immune system?

• Could very small particles behave differently from larger microplastics?

These are active areas of research.

The World Health Organization's more recent assessment emphasizes that exposure can happen through food, water and air and that major uncertainties remain around the potential health effects.

So I don't think the correct response is panic. I think the correct response is precaution without paranoia.

Now let's come back to something much more practical. Where are these particles coming from? 

Because if you look around your home, the answer is obvious.

• Plastic bottles.

• Food packaging.

• Takeaway containers.

• Plastic storage boxes.

• Synthetic textiles.

• Household dust.

And all of the plastic that we come into contact with every single day of our lives.

None of us will have to be a hermit living on some deserted island, eating nothing but bananas and avocados for every meal, to reduce our exposure.

And I would not recommend drinking only distilled water forever because you are concerned about micro plastic presence in it. 

The point is not to eliminate every form of exposure to microplastics. This appears to be nearly impossible.

The goal is to face dangerous sources of exposure in cases that are easy and reasonable. 

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A good thing to start with is bottled water. This does not mean that bottled water is bad for you straight away.

If you are in a situation where safe drinking water is not available, bottled water can play a very important role. But if you have tap water in your house that is safe to drink, there is no need to buy bottled water as the main source of drinking water. 

WHO recognizes that both bottled and tap water can have micro plastic particles and still stresses that the major priorities for drinking water remain issues connected with microbial contamination and known chemical hazards.

So if you have safe drinking water available, use it. And if you want to reduce your dependence on single-use plastic bottles at the same time, that's a reasonable choice.

The next thing to think about is how you store and heat food. 

Again, I don't want you to throw every plastic container in your kitchen into the garbage tonight.

But there is a simple principle I like: Plastic is useful. It doesn't have to touch everything.

If you have the option of storing hot food in glass or stainless steel, that's a sensible choice.

If you're reheating food, using a container designed for that purpose matters. And I would avoid treating random plastic containers as permanent cookware.

You don't need to become terrified of every plastic lunch box. You simply need to use materials appropriately.

Another area worth considering is packaging. Think about how much of our diet comes wrapped, bottled, bagged or packaged in plastic.

Sometimes there is no alternative. Sometimes there is. 

If you're buying fresh vegetables, fruits, pulses, grains or other foods that can reasonably be bought with less packaging, that can be an easy way to reduce your plastic use.

And there is an interesting bonus here. Many of the changes that reduce packaging exposure also encourage a better diet.

If you replace highly packaged snack foods with fruits, nuts, vegetables, pulses and other minimally processed foods, you're not just potentially reducing contact with plastic packaging. And you're improving the overall quality of your diet. That is a much better health strategy than obsessing over the number of micro plastic particles you might have consumed today.

There is also the question of seafood. 

Plastic pollution has entered marine ecosystems, and microplastics have been detected in seafood and other foods. But I would not take that to mean “Stop eating fish.”

Fish can be an excellent source of protein and important nutrients. 

Again, context matters. 

The solution to one environmental concern shouldn't automatically create another nutritional problem. Instead, focus on having a varied diet and sourcing food responsibly where possible.

And then there's something most people don't think about at all. 

Air. 

You don't only ingest plastic. You can inhale particles as well.

Microplastics have been detected in indoor and outdoor air, and synthetic textiles can release fibers into household environments. That means completely eliminating exposure isn't realistic.

We live in a world built around plastic. The better question is how much unnecessary exposure we can reasonably reduce. And this is where I think our thinking needs to mature.

We often talk about “toxins” as if health is a game where one molecule enters your body and immediately causes disease.

Human biology doesn't work that way. Risk depends on exposure, dose, duration, susceptibility and the characteristics of the substance involved. You can find something in the body without knowing whether it is causing harm. And you can find a potential biological effect in a laboratory without knowing whether it occurs at the exposure levels experienced by humans.

This is why I am uncomfortable with dramatic statements like: 

“Plastic is causing cancer.”

“Everyone has a credit card of plastic inside them.”

“Microplastics are destroying your hormones.”

Those statements are much stronger than the evidence currently allows. But I am equally uncomfortable with: “It's all harmless.”

Because we don't know that either. 

The WHO itself describes microplastics as an emerging environmental contaminant and says that important uncertainties remain around human health effects.

So what should you actually do? I would keep it simple.

Drink safe water. If you have safe tap or filtered water available, don't make single-use plastic bottles your everyday habit.

Store food appropriately. When convenient, use glass or stainless steel for hot food and long-term storage.

Don't heat food in random plastic containers.

Reduce unnecessary packaged foods. Not because every packaged food is dangerous, but because eating more minimally processed foods is generally a good nutritional strategy anyway.

Eat a varied diet. Don't eliminate healthy foods simply because they may have some potential exposure to microplastics.

Reduce unnecessary single use plastics. Single use plastic bags, single use shaving razors, balloons, plastic coffee/beverage cups or glasses. 

• And don't turn this into an obsession.

• You don't need to inspect every grain of salt under a microscope.

• You don't need to stop eating seafood.

• You don't need to throw away every plastic object in your home.

And you certainly don't need to stop drinking water because you're afraid of what might be in the bottle.

The bigger picture is much more interesting. Plastic has given us enormous benefits. 

It has made food packaging, medical equipment, transportation, sanitation and countless other things safer and more affordable.

The problem isn't that plastic exists. 

The problem is that we have produced enormous quantities of it, used much of it once and allowed it to accumulate throughout the environment.

And now we are beginning to understand that some of that material eventually comes back to us.

• It is in the water.

• It is in the food chain.

• It is in the air.

And increasingly, we are finding traces of it inside the human body. 

That deserves attention.

• It deserves better research.

• It deserves better waste management.

And it deserves better choices from governments, industries and consumers.

But while we wait for science to answer the bigger questions, there are sensible things you can do today.

• Use less unnecessary plastic.

• Choose reusable containers.

• Don't make bottled water your default if safe drinking water is available.

• Choose more fresh and minimally packaged foods.

And focus on the fundamentals of health that we already know matter.

• Eat a nutritious diet.

• Exercise.

• Sleep properly.

• Don't smoke.

• Maintain a healthy body composition.

• Manage your blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol.

Because I don't want you spending all your energy worrying about a particle you cannot see while ignoring the things that we already know are affecting your health.

That's the balance I want you to take away from this.

• Yes, you are exposed to microplastics.

• Yes, scientists are finding them in humans.

• Yes, we need to understand the long-term health consequences much better.

But no, that doesn't mean you need to panic.

The science is still developing. And until we know more, the smartest approach is not fear.

• It is a sensible reduction.

• Reduce the unnecessary.

• Keep your diet nutritious.

• Use plastic thoughtfully.

And remember that good health isn't built by eliminating one invisible particle.

It is built by the thousands of choices you make every day. 

A qualified dietitian or nutritionist can look at your health, lifestyle, food preferences, sleep goals and nutritional needs and help build a plan around you, rather than asking you to fit into a generic diet.

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