The world has grown complacent to the dangers of plastics, especially micro or nanoplastics, but its genuine danger is only now becoming apparent.

Wishing to save time and still have a delicious meal has resulted in the growth of new industries providing pre-made meals in convenient plastic dishes for microwaving. Could this present any danger to your health? Sure, you will dispose of the plastic dish in a recycling bag and feel everything is fine. But it's not.

What could go wrong? How about the danger to your health that food in that dish in that microwave presents to your impending health? It all comes down to one word—plastics.

Worldwide culture never expected that plastic's fantastic breakthrough chemistry discovery could endanger humans and the environment. In fact, after World War II and into the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, when plastics emerged along with frozen foods, convenience was the watchword, and words like ecology and environmental sensitivity had not entered our vocabulary.

We were naïve and wide-eyed at the prospect of what plastics could do for us regarding clothing, household items, construction, automobiles, and anything you could name. Wherever there was a product to be made, plastics could play a role because they were innovative, cheap, and readily available. Plastics built fortunes, and now we see the dark downside of their impact on the world and our health.

And it's not just plastics as we see them, but the form of plastic once they break down, known as micro or nanoplastics, that presents a highly disturbing attack on human health. Trash, dust, textiles, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, rain, seafood, produce, table salt, and many other sources are where we can find plastic bits. Is sea salt-free of this microplastic? No safety there because the oceans are full of micro and nanoplastics.

And we've been absorbing all these various forms of plastic from our environment for decades. Scientists in human research have found microplastics in several bodily fluids, including the placenta, blood, saliva, liver, and kidneys. Researchers are trying to determine how these plastics spread to other organs and tissues from the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. Because of its ability to penetrate cells, researchers are most concerned about microplastics smaller than 1 millimeter, the nanoplastics. These are the truly dangerous forms of plastic found resident in our brains.

Plastics in Our Brains

Scientists have found microplastics in human brains at levels far greater than in other organs. Also, the buildup of plastic seems to be increasing with time, having accelerated by 50% in the last eight years alone. How did it get there and what is the danger that it presents?

Scientists stress that particular long-term impacts are still unknown, but new evidence suggests that microplastic buildup in human brains is a major health risk. The most concerning conclusion of the study is that microplastic buildup in brain tissue samples has increased at a rate similar to that of environmental plastic pollution, with levels higher than in 2016 samples.

Finding significantly increased amounts of these particles in brain samples from dementia patients, particularly around immune cells and along the walls of blood vessels, was a significant cause for concern. Scientists quickly note that just because there is a correlation does not mean microplastics cause dementia. The increased concentrations could be caused by changes in brain function caused by dementia, such as a diminished ability to guard the blood-brain barrier.

Potential contributions to neurological illnesses and interference with normal brain function are questions that this raises. The rising presence of microplastics necessitates research on their brain entry, removal, and neurological effects. There is an immediate need for additional research into the long-term impacts of microplastics on human health, and although this study does not establish that microplastics cause specific health problems, it does raise serious concerns about their possible impact on brain function.

What About Our Hearts?

The potential dangers of microplastics to human health are a growing concern. Researchers have now shown that microplastics in plaque that blocks arteries in the neck significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes compared to plaque that does not include plastic.

In a study involving 257 individuals, researchers discovered that 58% of the plaque samples included trace amounts of plastic, specifically polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. Those whose plaque contained microplastics had a mortality, stroke, or heart attack rate that was 4.5 times greater than that of those whose plaque did not contain microplastics after nearly three years. But, the researchers conclude, they could not state that microplastics were the sole cause of this disturbing statistic and other factors might be at play here.

Could another factor be the common one-use plastic containers for food that are endemic in our culture? Another study took this task on and the results were not surprising.

In another study, reusable food pouches and plastic containers were tested for the release of microplastics and nanoplastics under various usage situations. Results showed that compared to other use scenarios like refrigeration or room-temperature storage, microwave heating resulted in the largest release of microplastics and nanoplastics into food. Over the course of three minutes, microwave heating a single square centimeter of plastic in certain containers released 4.22 million microplastic and 2.11 billion nanoplastic particles.

However, because it releases the two forms of plastics, that does not resolve the question of how this plastic gets into organs of our body, and, particularly, our brains. It may be involved in our ingesting the plastic, but what happens from there?

Who Is at Greatest Risk

Young people may be more vulnerable because their organs are still maturing. Thyroid cancer is on the rise, and pediatric otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon Kara Meister, MD, of Stanford Medicine, has seen a correlation between the condition and autoimmune disorders in her patient population. She chose to investigate microplastics because she wanted to know what could be affecting children’s hormones.

How long microplastics remain in the body and how environmental and genetic factors mitigate their effects are yet unknown to scientists. No one has yet to decide whether certain polymers or exposure methods are more harmful. We have also not adequately investigated the specific risks microplastics pose to humans. Plastic is so pervasive that strong causal evidence is hard to come by.

What Can We Do?

Opt for natural fiber clothing, avoid plastic kitchenware, and search for plastic-free cosmetics and toiletries. Prepare your own meals at home and use glass jars for peanut butter and drinks. If you are dining out, bring a glass container. Purchase toys made of metal or wood, and instead of plastic wrap, use foil.

Avoid using plastic containers to reheat food in the microwave and wash plastic objects by hand to prevent leaching. Avoid reusing plastics that have deteriorated because doing so could increase your exposure to particles caused by wear and tear.

There are things we can do to protect ourselves from this day forward, but we will have already ingested and implanted in our organs microplastics from prior years. Does this mean we should give up trying to avoid plastic? No, it means that we need to change our lifestyle and purchase choices as well as how we prepare or reheat foods at home.

Is all of this worth it? Ask yourself whether your health has any value to you or how valuable is your children's health to you. Once you've answered those two questions, you will know how to proceed in the future.