But it is. And it purely horrifies me.
I’m at the age of inescapable awareness that my brain no longer functions as it once did. If you’re not there yet, friends, just wait a minute or two. And make your home as plastic free as possible! Because the microplastics in your home and workplace are very likely ending up in your brain.
In 2020, scientists found microplastics in various human organs for the first time. How did they get there? The study of that question is ongoing, but It is likely that some were ingested from the plastic ware we are so fond of using to serve food and beverages.
But the dust in our homes and workplaces also contains microplastics, so we’re likely inhaling it as well. Research with mice shows that once in the body, microplastics move around freely, ending up in the brain, kidneys, liver and so forth. Moreover, they found metabolic differences in the colon, brain and liver after exposure to microplastics.
What are microplastics? Tiny bits of plastic. And they are everywhere because plastics do not biodegrade. They simply break into ever smaller bits and pieces. And we humans have a serious plastic addiction. We produce 400 million metric tons of plastic waste per year. Of that we ingest or inhale about a soup-spoonful weekly, or about 250 grams per year. Yikes!
Research is ongoing. Scientists continue to investigate how it happens, whether diet influences how much it happens, and what the long-term consequences are. Read about it here.
In the meantime, I’m putting fresh produce in cloth bags and doing other things to rid my life of plastic. Come by the Care of Creation table at Earth Day Celebration, this coming Saturday, 9-1, at Black Bayou Lake NWR near Monroe, LA, and get a cloth bag the perfect size for produce with our logo on it!
Care of Creation 