Microplastics are everywhere — we need to understand how they affect human health. Nat Med 30, 913 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-02968-x. “As evidence emerges describing the accumulation of small plastic particles in various organs and tissues of the body, a much deeper understanding of the effects of these particles on human health is urgently needed. The world is awash with plastic — 6 billion tons’ worth. In 2019, 353 million tons of plastic waste were produced, with a tripling of that number to more than one billion tons predicted by 2060 More than 10,000 chemicals are present in plastics, including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Plastics find their way into the human body in the form of tiny particles called microplastics (less than 5 mm in diameter) and nanoplastics (less than 1 μm in diameter). Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) can arise from a variety of sources, including by design, as in the case of microbeads used in cosmetic and personal care products, or inadvertently, as the result of degradation of larger plastic products, such as through the laundering of synthetic clothes or abrasion of tires. MNPs are found everywhere on the planet, including the oceans, air and food supply. MNPs enter the body mainly through ingestion or inhalation. For example, one might ingest MNPs by drinking liquid or eating food that has been stored or heated in plastic containers from which MNPs have leached, or by using toothpaste containing MNPs. One startling study found that infants may be exposed to high levels of microplastics by ingesting formula prepared in propylene feeding bottles.”

See also PHYS.org: “Negotiators from 175 countries are meeting from Tuesday in Canada to nail down a binding global treaty to end plastic pollution with many sticking points to be resolved five months after the last round of talks in Kenya. Nations in 2022 agreed to finalize by the end of this year a world-first UN treaty to address the scourge of plastics found everywhere from mountain tops to ocean depths, and within human blood and breast milk.”