The evidence is clear: microplastics have contaminated every corner of the globe. We can’t escape exposure to these tiny bits of plastic (less than 5mm across) in the environment, which includes the homes where people spend most of their time. Recent research has discovered microplastics in the blood of humans.
However, the question of harm to humans remains unresolved. Despite concerns that some substances in microplastics could cause cancer or damage our DNA, we still have a poor grasp of the true risks of harm. Our study of global microplastics exposure inside homes across 29 countries, published in the November issue of Environmental Pollution, shows people living in lower-income countries and young children are at greater risk of exposure.
But our analysis of the chemical composition of microplastics in the home shows the specific health risk is surprisingly low. The study covered all the continents, including Australia. The current challenge in understanding health risks from microplastics is the very limited data on the toxic effects of the petrochemicals used in plastics production. A recurrent theme in the environmental health research literature is that early concerns about suspect chemicals and related compounds, including those found in plastics, were eventually justified.