Microplastics Facts

· Global plastic production is more than 800 billion pounds yearly and is expected to double by 2034. Two-thirds are short-lived products that quickly become waste. NYT 4/3/24

· Plastic is created from fossil fuels, the biggest contributor to greenhouse gasses. Beyond Plastics

· Americans create more plastic waste than any other country; almost 500 pounds per person per year. Beyond Plastics

· Today, only 5-6% of all plastic is recycled. Beyond Plastics

· Plastic waste breaks down into particles, called microplastics, which are the size of a grain of salt or smaller. They further degrade into microscopic particles, called nanoplastics. NY Presbyterian Health Matters 5/3/24

· Research has detected microplastics in the brain, heart arteries, lungs, blood, kidneys, livers, intestines, testicles, reproductive organs, joints, bone marrow, breast milk, and placentas of humans. Break Free From Plastics, Take 3 for the Sea, The Guardian

· A New England Journal of Medicine study found that patients with microplastics and nanoplastics in their arteries had a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and early death. WP 6/10/24, NYT 6/7/24

· Microplastics in human testicles might be linked to declining sperm counts in men, according to research. WP 6/10/24

· A 2021 study found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease had more microplastics in their feces than healthy subjects. NYT 6/7/24

· 16,000 chemicals are used to make a variety of plastics and many of the chemicals used to create plastics are carcinogens. Beyond Plastics

· The chemicals that leach from plastic can contribute to increasingly prevalent chronic diseases, from obesity to infertility, from neurological disorders to weakened immune system, and from cardiovascular disease to cancers. WP 6/10/24

· Scientists have found microplastics everywhere, from the deepest trench in the ocean to the summit of Mount Everest. National Geographic 5/8/23

· According to scientists, adults inhale or ingest on average 74,000 to 121,000 microplastic particles per year through breathing, eating and drinking. WP 6/10/24

· One liter of water from a plastic water bottle contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics, including nanoplastics, according to a Columbia/Rutgers March 2024 study. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 1/8/24

· 90% of animal and vegetable protein samples tested positive for microplastics according to a study in ScienceDirect in 2020. CNN 4/22/24