Microplastics are an inevitable part of our daily life, as the items made of plastic or coated with plastic shed and breakdown into our water, air, dust and food. These nano-sized pieces of plastic can be found in items such as wet wipes, make-up, groceries and clothes and have been found to have potential increased risk of breast cancer and testicular cancer, as well as other health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and others. Make small changes in your home each week. Within 6 months you should be able to make a difference in your microplastic consumption just with small lifestyle changes. Now, individuals can test their own blood to see how many chemicals they have, as it detects small, medium and large microplastics in your bloodstream. As the long-term effects of consuming microplastics are still largely unknown, it's never been more important to be conscious of where we shop and how we prepare, store and consume food and water in order to avoid these toxic chemicals and their harmful health concerns.
Use enamel plates: Most items children interact with are made of plastic, especially when they’re under the age of 10. However, an easy swap to reduce their exposure to microplastics is to serve all their food on enamel plates rather than plastic ones. Silicone plates are also available.
Swap to metal or wooden cutlery. For children and adults, Microplastics can not only be found in food but how we consume them. Try to avoid single-use plastic cutlery when you’re eating on the go or at home and use metal or a natural bamboo version instead.
Use silicone, wood or metal kitchen utensils. When you are preparing food, it’s important to avoid using plastic utensils, as when heated it’s more likely to move Microplastics into your food. Try to find silicone, wooden or stainless steel kitchen utensils to replace any that contain plastic. Those black spatula/flipper type utensils are a big contaminator of food. When you are cooking, these melt and disintegrate, putting plastic fragments into the food. They have silicon flippers available now.
Plastic cutting boards also produce tiny plastic pieces as you cut using sharp knife blades. Switch to bamboo or wood.Switch plastic bottles for silicon or glass water bottlesConsuming any liquid from a plastic waterbottle is one of the sure ways to consume microplastics, with single-use plastic water bottles containing around 240,000 pieces of plastic. Move over to a silicone or glass reusable water bottle to avoid any unnecessary microplastic consumption. Even a stainless steel bottle is a better option.
Use glass containers: Throw out all those plastic containers! Plastic containers are super easy and convenient, but glass dishes are a much better option for storing and heating your food as it avoids contamination from plastic. Heating and cooling plastic with food inside causes chemicals to leach out of the container and into your food! NEVER ever microwave food in plastic containers! Those take out food containers are not meant to store food in, they are just to get the food from the restaurant to your kitchen! Transfer any food you get to glass or metal containers for storage. Limit the use of plastic wraps and ziplock bags. Opt for reusable silicone or beeswax products, or even wax paper or parchment paper. Or store in glass containers.
Avoid toiletries that use microbeads: Microbeads are often added into exfoliate the skin in facial scrubs, cleansers and body wash, but these all contain an increased amount of microplastics. Try to avoid any cosmetics that contain 'microbeads' especially and opt for vegan and cruelty free brands were you can.
Vacuum regularly: The thought of more frequent housework can be arduous, but microplastics collect and spread in the dust and air in your home. One way to reduce the amount of microplastics in your home is to dust and vacuum more often, perhaps every few days or at minimum once a week.
Buy clothes made from natural materials: Cheap fashion has a profound impact on the environment, but clothing made from plastic can also release microplastics into your home. Try to choose pieces made from natural fiber (wool and cotton) and avoid clothes that contain plastic. If you already have any clothes that contain plastic, try to reduce the amount of times you wash them to avoid any excessive shedding.
Buy groceries that aren’t wrapped in plastic: This is really difficult! Many supermarkets offer the option to buy loose fruit and vegetables, so this food will contain far less Microplastics than those that have been packaged and sat in plastic for several days or weeks. Or just buy them as you normally would, but take them out of the plastic when you get home and store in baskets.
Plastic canisters: Swap out for a jar type. Storing flour and sugar in plastic canisters is yet another way that microplastics are getting into your food. Mason jars, ceramic or glass canisters are a better option
Skip the Straw! In NJ, plastic straws are no longer available, but some restaurants have them as an option and they can be convenient to use at home when you have children or guest over. A simple swap would be to choose reusable metal straws or paper straws, all of which would result in less Microplastic consumption
Switch to dishwasher and laundry powder: Dishwasher tablets are wrapped in plastic so there is some concern that the pods release small particles of plastic onto our everyday dishes. Liquid laundry soap comes in heavy plastic bottles. Consider switching to laundry soap in a powder form that comes in a cardboard box. Don’t use those plastic pods either!
Menstrual products: Most menstrual products and their packaging contain 2g of non-biodegradable plastic which is the same as four plastic bags. Decomposition time can be to 800 years! Reusable products are the best bet (if you are game for that). Switching to cotton pads/tampons can be is better for the body and much more easily decomposed.
Bottled Water: Loaded with microplastics, but switching to tap water isn't a perfect solution, either. A lot of household filters are effective at removing contaminants, but they themselves shed plastic particles.
Other sources: Receipts often contain bisphenols, which are chemicals linked to reproductive toxicity and cancer.That's because receipts are coated in a plastic polymer for heat-based printing. Opt for the e-mailed version of the receipt. Then move your receipts in order to organize them, into a folder in your email called RECEIPTS. We rarely need receipts, but in case you do, it’ll be found more easily.
Plastic coated coffee cups: That innocent cup of coffee you buy at Wawa in the morning is loaded with microplastics. Opt for the refillable metal cup and save money on the refills!Plastic shipping bags, other types of packaging. Remove the item when you receive it. Discard the wrap in the trash.
Plastic coated paper plates: These should never be microwaved, as it puts plastic and other chemicals including dyes into the food. Use a glass plate and wash it. Or get the natural bamboo plates.
Travel containers. Older types of containers used for travel should be replaced with silicone type. Tupperware anything. Discard. Find an alternative.
Take your time and make small changes every week. Detox your home and environment, and more importantly, YOU!
Kathy Martin
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