there are microplastics in my WHAT?! 😳
this ONE kitchen item is an unexpected source of plastic... and you've probably never even considered it.
Hey, hey, my friend— how are ya?!
First things first, if you are a new face that discovered me from last week’s post “An Honest Day in The Life (With Time Stamps!), WELCOME! That post blew up in a way I never expected, and I am so grateful to see all of the new subscribers ◡̈ I am sincerely happy to have you here.
But, enough about me. Let’s talk microplastics. and New Hampshire (?).
^^How’s that for a smooth writing transition?!
Let’s begin.
mini life update—
Typically, I write these emails perched from my kitchen table in Northern Minnesota, but I am currently typing from a cozy and quaint cabin in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, New Hampshire.
For 2ish weeks, my little family is roadtripping around the East Coast. We just finished our Martha’s Vineyard leg of the trip and WHOA. What. A. Place. (here’s a peek at how we spent our time).
Right now, Adam and Miles are out on a walk, and I am squeezing in a bit of work. After 4ish days completely off (can’t remember the last time I did that!), I am honestly really looking forward to writing this email and using my brain a bit, ha!
So, yes, I have been on vacation mode (fresh oysters, crisp glasses of rose, and leisurely beach days, oh my), but I do have some tangible, nitty-gritty health info for you that recently blew. my. mind.
and that is a random (yet verrrrrry common) source of microplastics that you may have never even considered.
there are microplastics in my WHAT?!
If you’ve heard of microplastics before, you may be aware of them in the obvious places like your water bottle, plastic baggies, etc. but today we’re going to be talking about a surprising source of microplastic that may be hiding out [in plain sight] right inside your kitchen….
But before we get to that, let’s dig into the basics.
As its name implies, microplastics are essentially a *micro* amount of plastic (bet you couldn’t figure that out on your own!), which can be easily (and often, unknowingly) ingested due to their microscopic size and persistence throughout the food chain, air, water, soil, and environment since plastic is so resistant to biodegradation.
Simply put— they are virtually impossible to remove once released into the environment, and they are hiding in plain sight.
Just look around you right now – I bet you can see 5-10 things made of plastic just in your immediate proximity.
And those are just the obvious sources of plastic.
On some level, it’s all around us and on some level it IS unavoidable, so the goal here isn’t to eliminate plastic completely from our lives, be afraid of it, or overly paranoid, but more so being aware of the different sources of microplastic where you do have a choice to upgrade and opt for materials that are better for the environment, and potentially our health
Let’s just say, there are MANY sources of microplastic in our everyday life.
And when we’re exposed to even this micro amount of plastic over + over + over again day-after-day, it could have a cumulative health impact.
So, Kate, how do microplastics impact our health? Well, it’s complicated.
Because there are SO many types of plastic, different shapes, sizes, and forms of microplastics, different ingredients alongside the plastic, various methods of ingestion, and countless routes of exposure, there isn’t one conclusive, firm, direct correlation of the impacts of microplastics on human health because it’s just so hard to “narrow it down” and study.
So, while it can be really hard to draw a firm line from particular microplastics to particular effects due to their varied nature, there are some worrisome correlations— undoubtedly for the environment, but also for our physical health:
In vitro experiments exposing human cells with microplastics were correlated with an increase in inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism disturbances, airway irrriation, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. (Yikes. No, thank you.
Furthermore, plastics are a known endocrine disruptor. Meaning they can alter our body’s natural hormone production by interfering the creation, release, transport, metabolism, and elimination of hormones (this is important if you are regulating your menstrual cycle, thinking of getting pregnant, currently pregnant, etc.)
It’s more than just plastic— a concern with microplastics is that they often will carry many accompanying chemicals. AKA, it's often not just the plastic, but what's with the plastic. Whether it be artificial coloring or BPA, we’re now aware that many of these accompanying chemicals can have health impacts of their own.
Not to mention, plastic serves as an excellent breeding ground for bacterial growth. When we're using these plastic products we may unknowingly be using something that is transmitting pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria love to grow on plastic, so if we’re using it for things like dishware, silverware, cleaning supplies, whatever it may be, we are increasing the likelihood of pathogenic transmission.
It has been shown that microplastics under 100 nm in size can reach almost all organs after entering the human body, (even showing the potential to cross the blood-brain-barrier) which creates concerns on the frequent (and systemic) exposure these microplastics may have.
I am choosing to be proactive
So, again, is there a super firm & concrete link to EXACTLY how microplastics impact our health? No. Are plastics something you need to be terrified of? No.
But that said, there are a lot of worrisome correlations to it, so it's just something I like to recommend avoiding when you are able.
I could see it being similar to smoking— for years, everyone did it without second thought, but now we look back and be like WHAT were thinking, exposing ourselves to all of these chemicals day after day?
Ultimately it’s about asking yourself whether you really want little tiny chunks of chemical-filled plastic in the environment and your body…. While the data is still emerging, I think we can all agree something about that doesn't seem the healthiest long-term.
So, for me, I just do the best I can— I’m not paranoid, but I do make a cautious choice to upgrade many materials to less toxic, less environmentally impactful materials when I can.
ways to avoid microplastics
You can easily reduce your microplastic exposure in simple ways— swapping to a stainless steel water bottle (drinking out of plastic water bottles is a major form of ingestion!), using ceramic dishware instead of plastic, switching to glass tupperware, never microwaving plastic, not taking receipts when they're offered in the stores (they are often covered with BPA!).
So again, it's just these small choices.
And you may make these changes and not feel any different, but the cumulative, long-lasting impact of reducing those plastic exposures day after day really can make a difference!
So for me, I have upgraded many areas of my life to reduce plastic exposure and just try to avoid plastic where I can (without being paranoid or overly restrictive).
That said, one area where reducing plastic is especially important to me is in my kitchen, because experts speculate that food ingestion, preparation, etc. are on of the main routes of exposure— so I am extra cautious about the materials in my kitchen: having ceramic dishes, wooden spatulas, glass breastmilk bottles for my baby….
But as cautious as I’ve been, there was one kitchen item I’d NEVER really considered until I recently saw a study recently that blew. my. mind.
It was focused on *one* particular kitchen item that is unknowingly a MAJOR source of microplastics for so many people, and that item is (drumroll pls……….)