June
27
2025
15:49
Microplastics: Are we facing a new health crisis – and what can be done about it?
- Microplastics have been found in the land, sea and air, across the food chain and throughout the human body.
- While the full extent of the health impacts of microplastics are not yet known, studies indicate that they can increase the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, or death.
- With pollution ranked in the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report 2025 as a top 10 threat, concerted and urgent action is required.
There's a growing body of evidence about how widespread microplastics have become – across land, sea and air – and the impact they could be having on human health. Some experts believe we are in the midst of a plastic health crisis.
Microplastics have now been detected throughout the human body – including the blood, lungs, liver and even lower limb joints. Scientists have found evidence of microplastics in our brains, and further studies have revealed how these microplastics are accumulating and rapidly rising in our brains.
Meanwhile, a recent study in the US state of Oregon found microplastics in 98.9% of seafood samples. To give some perspective, it is estimated that the average person can eat, drink or breathe between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year.