2024: Plastics in Our Bodies
Part 1 – The Year of the Reusable Beverage Container
Science is starting the year strong with a new finding: the prevalence of tiny bits of plastic floating in plastic water bottles is at least 10-100x higher than previously thought. A one-liter plastic water bottle contains an average of a quarter million plastic particles, all of which enter your body as you drink.
These particles are so small that two swimming pools filled with water from plastic bottles would hold hundreds of millions of plastic particles weighing only about as much as a penny. But the small size of the particles (typically called microplastics or nanoplastics) is what most concerns experts. Nanoplastics are so small they can fit into cells and pass through the blood-brain barrier, and many nanoplastics contain harmful chemicals, such as PFAS, that are used in the manufacturing of the plastic.
Researchers made this discovery because better imaging technology has been developed, and they intend to study microplastics and nanoplastics in tap water, the air, food, and in our own human bodies. Previous studies using older technology have already found plastic particles in humans ranging from our lungs to our blood to placentas.
The full impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on human health aren’t known, particularly because they can carry a wide range of different chemicals. They may cause cancer, reproductive problems, thyroid disease, hormone disruptions, and more.
Plastic bottles present a problem to more than human health. CNN reports that in 2021, the world produced 600 billion plastic bottles, and the plastic water bottle industry is considered one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The manufacturing process is powered by fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gasses, and most bottles wind up either in landfills or as litter, harming ecosystems. The Blue Paradox exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry is an engaging and educational way to experience the plastic pollution problem in our oceans.
Make 2024 the year you ditch the single-use plastic bottle! Fill a reusable beverage bottle (preferably stainless steel or glass) every time you leave the house to have in your bag/backpack or car when you are on the go, and refill it as needed. The state of Illinois passed a law in 2023 requiring water bottle refill stations in new public buildings. It’s a good start!
Join the Environmental Action Committee the third Monday of every month to learn more, or email us at environment@lwvchicago.org.