Page 42 - Plastic News Issue August 2025
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS
“They were using a commercial instrument, naco Commission on Plastics and Human Health,
and the limit of detection is at its best condition a global consortium of scientists, health care
(around 1 micrometer),” Min said via email. “This workers and policy analysts charged with fol-
allows them to capture (1 to 10) micrometer pop- lowing plastics from creation to final product.
ulation, which had remained largely undetected
in previous studies of in-door air.” In that report, the consortium determined plas-
tics are associated with harms to human health
However, the study was unable to measure even at every single stage of the plastic life cycle.
smaller particles, called nanoplastics, which are
measured in nanometers instead of microm- “I say to people, ‘Listen, there are some plastics
eters. It takes 1,000 nanometers to make 1 mi- that you can’t escape. You’re not going to get
crometer — in comparison, an average human a cell phone or a computer that doesn’t contain
hair is roughly 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers plastic.’ But do try to minimize your exposure to
in diameter. the plastic that you can avoid, especially single-
use plastics,” said Landrigan, a professor of biol-
“The present study provides important informa- ogy who directs the Program for Global Public
tion but also speaks to the need for advance- Health and the Common Good and the Global
ments in the technology to assess even small- Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston Col-
er polymer particles, both in the air and in our lege.
bodies,” said microplastics researcher Matthew
Campen, regents’ professor and professor of It’s hard to avoid foods wrapped in plastic film
pharmaceutical sciences at the University of because they are so ubiquitous, Landrigan said,
New Mexico in Albuquerque. but you can take food out of the plastic wrap-
ping before cooking or putting it in the micro-
Nanoplastics are the most worrisome type of wave.
plastic pollution for human health, experts say.
That’s because the minuscule particles can in- “When you heat plastic, that accelerates the
vade individual cells and tissues in major organs, movement of the microplastics out of the wrap-
potentially interrupting cellular processes and ping into the food,” he said.
depositing endocrine-disrupting chemicals such Invest in a zippered fabric bag and ask the dry
as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, per- cleaner to return your clothes in it instead of
fluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or those thin sheets of plastic, suggests the Natural
PFAS, and heavy metals.
Resources Defense Council, an environmental
Ways to cut back on plastic advocacy group. Bring a travel mug to the local
coffee store for takeout and silverware to the
There are many steps individuals can take to re- office to cut back on plastic cups and utensils.
duce their exposure to plastics and their plastic
footprint, experts say. In February, CNN spoke “Don’t use plastic bags when you go shopping.
to pediatrician Dr. Philip Landrigan, lead author Use a cloth bag or a paper bag or a recycle
of a March 2023 report from the Minderoo–Mo- bag,” Landrigan said. “Try to avoid plastic water
42 PLASTICS NEWS August 2025
