You might have a spoon's worth of microplastics - in your brain

The number of tiny bits of plastic found in human brains increased dramatically between 2016 and 2024, with the highest amounts found in the brains of people who had dementia.

Study: "They're at a much larger concentration in the body than many of us would have expected." And they’ve been found everywhere, from the depths of the ocean to Arctic ice.

While not yet clear how, microplastic particles may enter the body when people eat, drink, or breathe them in. Microplastic particles have been found in multiple parts of human bodies: arteries, hearts, lungs, blood, placentas, breast milk, penis and testicles, among others. But finding the particular in higher concentrations in the brain was a surprise; it was thought the blood-brain barrier prevented that. That’s an echo of what we thought about asbestos, thought to be an inert compound that wasn't biologically reactive and couldn't cause any problems.

The two groups at particular risk are very young children, with an undeveloped blood-brain barrier. And as we age, the processes that protect the brain are less agile-which may be related to the finding that the greatest concentrations of microplastics found in brains were in dementia patients.

How to avoid digesting microplastics? There’s no known removal method once they’re in our bodies, so prevention is the strategy. Avoid single-use plastics, especially food and beverage packaging and to-go containers that shed microplastics into what we eat and drink. Bottled water, for instance, has higher levels of microplastics than tap water. Swap out plastic cutting boards for wood or stainless steel. Avoid using plastic containers, especially single-use containers. Heat activates plastic: reheat items in the microwave in non-plastic containers.