Microplastics: A Growing Concern With Possible Extreme Health Risks, 2 Studies Are Showing

Microplastics are in a majority of things. Primarily, they are found in almost all consumer products. A jug of milk, a water bottle, microbeads in cosmetic products and the majority of personal care products. These get thrown in the trash and end up at the dump after trash pickup. This is where microplastics come from, and they are polluting our ecosystems, our bodies and the ocean.

Microplastics are Everywhere

In an October 2025 report, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that microplastics are present in nearly all consumer products. With plastic nearly doubling over the past 2 decades, it is hypothesized that it will increase by another 70% by 2040. Since plastics don’t biodegrade, unlike natural fibers, their decomposition leads to large amounts of microplastics.

These non-biodegradable products have highly toxic chemicals that migrate through the environment and into our bodies. These harmful particles have been found in foods, drinks, cosmetics, clothing and even personal care products. Due to these structures’ uniqueness, they allow transmission for other contaminants.

The trouble really stirs those at Harvard, as studies have concluded that exposure is linked to cell damage, immune response and DNA. The breakdown creates small particles, nearly invisible to the naked eye. Microplastics have been detected in many human tissues, with levels increasing as plastic production continues to grow. There has been a correlation made with an increased chance of dementia, heart attack, stroke, or early death.

A Closer Look

According to Stanford Medicine, these molecules pervade all ecosystems, including the Antarctic ice. These microplastics are deemed inescapable at up to 5 millimeters long. Their estimate of particles released yearly is 10 to 40 million metric tons, potentially doubling by 2040. A pediatric infectious diseases physician, Desiree LaBeaud, M.D., has said,

“Although data is still quite limited, maybe all these epidemics that we have — obesity, cardiovascular disease, everybody getting cancer — are related. People are trying to figure out if they’re associated with the plastics that we’re inhaling and imbibing.”

According to her, we’re even born polluted with these particles, as it has been found in urine, semen, breastmilk and meconium — a word used to describe a newborn infant’s first stool. They have been found in organs and tissues, such as the brain, lymph nodes, heart, stomach and placenta. As of their study, these tiny villains have been found in 1,300 species. Despite how long we have existed with them, research on their impact on our health is just beginning.

Researching The Harms of Microplastics

Through studying fish and birds, they have found that microplastics make them more vulnerable to infections. Links between them and biological variations in animals include impaired immune systems, disruption in the body’s chemical processing, inflammation, necrotic tissue, cell damage, abnormal organ development and more.

After review by scholars from the University of California, San Francisco, they suspect microplastics may be responsible for harm to reproductive, digestive and respiratory health. After the review, they included a possible link to colon and lung cancer.

A pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist, Kara Meister, M.D., saw a rise in thyroid cancer, becoming more common amongst her patients and had recognized a link to autoimmune disease. She embarked on research on microplastics after considering what the cause of the children’s hormone disruption was. In early 2024, she began examining tonsils removed from healthy children with conditions like sleep apnea for microplastics, noting high concentrations in many of the tissues. These particles were deep in the tonsils, with the team even finding specs of Teflon under a microscope.

Due to limited research into microplastics and what they do to our bodies, as well as the exploratory nature of what has been conducted, no one knows how long they stay with us. Studies don’t yet exist on the direct dangers to humans from them, or whether some plastics are worse than others.