How microplastics may alter gut health: New research & strategies for limiting plastic pollution
A new review published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology has concluded that microplastics may alter gut health (Bora et al., 2024). Microplastics are small particles of plastic less than five millimeters long; they are found in many food and beverage products including beer. They are also present in water bottles, seafood, table salt, and fruits and vegetables. Consumption of food and beverages is one of the main ways that individuals ingest microplastics (Bambridge-Sutton, 2024).
According to the researchers (Bora et al., 2024), when microplastics accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract (where they remain for a long time due to their resistance to digestion) dysbiosis can occur, which is an imbalance between beneficial and harmful, pathogenic bacteria. Such an imbalance has been linked to numerous health conditions such as weakened immunity, impaired gut function and increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders. (Bambridge-Sutton, 2024; Bora et al., 2024)
“Gut dysbiosis may lead to inflammatory responses and increase gut permeability, leading to the condition often known as ‘leaky gut.’ This can lead to leakage of pathogens into circulation, potentially resulting in autoimmunity (where the body’s immune system attacks the body’s own tissues). Microplastics also exacerbate this through microabrasions in the gut lining. They may also carry chemicals such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which can further damage the gut lining.” (Bambridge-Sutton, 2024; Bora et al., 2024)
Microplastics can disrupt the gut-heart axis and gut-kidney access, which are important components of heart and kidney health. In addition, the presence of microplastics can result in systemic inflammation, which in turn can lead to diabetes, obesity as well as cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Finally, according to this newly published review, microplastics may lead to imbalances in energy storage and expenditure. (Bambridge-Sutton, 2024; Bora et al., 2024)
The authors recommend that policy makers respond with improvements in public policy including regulating plastic production and disposal more effectively, improving waste management, and developing alternatives to plastic such as biodegradable materials. Finally, it is recommended that microplastic levels in air, water, and food be monitored, water be filtered, and air quality be improved (Bambridge-Sutton, 2024; Bora et al., 2024)
How to Limit Plastic Pollution: Strategies that Work
There are several evidence-based strategies that can help stop plastic pollution (Jones, 2024). Of course, some of these strategies come with caveats and/or unexpected consequences demonstrating that such policies, once adopted, need to be monitored over time. These strategies include 1) banning single-use plastics; 2) taxing plastics and/or requiring plastic producers pay a fee to encourage recycling, 3) cut down on microplastic use (Jones, 2024) and 4) limit the use of plastic in your kitchen (Nowell, 2024). Learn more below about each of these strategies to limit plastic pollution.
Ban single-use plastics
“More than 90 nations and territories have passed full or partial bans on single-use plastic products such as carrier bags. These bans can be very effective. One analysis showed that bans in five US states and cities together cut consumption of single-use plastic bags by about six billion bags per year. Several studies have also shown huge reductions in plastic litter in waterways, says McCauley. Even fees can work. A litter survey in the United Kingdom found that the number of plastic bags found on beaches dropped by 80% after the nation introduced a mandatory fee for single-use carrier bags, although other forms of litter had increased.
But bans that are poorly designed or enforced are likely to be ineffective. California, for example, allowed shops to switch to thicker, reusable carrier bags — but people still threw them away, leading to a higher rate of plastic disposal than before. Policies need to be monitored and reviewed, says McCauley. “You have to put a policy in place, take data and then whack-a-mole the loopholes.”” (Jones, 2024)
Tax plastics and require that companies pay a fee for plastic packaging to be recycled
Tax Plastics
Numerous countries around the world have either passed a tax on plastics or proposed such a tax.
For a summary, see: Plastic Tax, Levy & Penalty (2024)
https://www.apchemi.com/post/plastic-tax-levy-penalty-2024
Based on a recent ruling, Colombia taxes single-use plastics both for domestic use and exports. “In a landmark decision, Colombia’s tax authority (DIAN) published Ruling 294 on 25 April 2024, marking a significant turn in the country’s battle against single-use plastics. This ruling clarifies the application of taxes on the sales of single-use plastic products used in packaging.”
“The ruling also confirms that the tax extends beyond Colombia’s borders, impacting sales of single-use plastic products in international markets; meaning that exports of such products will now also be subject to taxation. The ruling underscores the government’s commitment to environmental conservation and a cohesive approach toward curbing plastic waste, both domestically and internationally.” (Reg Follower, 2024)
Pay a fee for plastic packing to be recycled
“Many nations and US states require companies that produce plastic packaging to pay for it to be recycled, which can boost recycling rates. In Spain, for example, the government introduced an ‘extended producer responsibilities’ policy, and the recycling of paper and plastics rose from 5% up to 81%.”
“Such policies are also meant to incentivize companies to redesign their packaging, but because most of the fees are based on weight, they mainly influence the amount of packaging used rather than its composition. A good idea, says Richard Thompson, a marine scientist at the University of Plymouth, UK, and a co-lead of the scientists’ coalition, is to have a policy that rewards or mandates inclusion of recycled content in products: in the United Kingdom, for example, plastic producers pay a tax of £217.85 (US$274) per tonne of plastic, but only for packaging that’s less than 30% recycled.” Such incentives “will pull demand in the right way”, says Thompson.
“As with all policies, there are some good, some bad, says Farrelly. She has seen policies that end up increasing the use of recycling centers in the Pacific islands that don’t have high safety standards for their workers, for example.” (Jones, 2024)
It is worth noting that not everyone is a proponent of recycling plastics, without strict regulations for doing so, because of the leaching of toxic chemicals. This point is illustrated in an article written by Dr. Bethanie Carney, Almroth Associate Professor, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg and Dr. Eric Carmona Martinez, Scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, which you can read here:
Dangerous chemicals found in recycled plastics, making them unsafe for use – experts explain the hazards (2024)
As the authors note in their article:
“In designing rules for managing plastic, it’s important to understand that plastic materials and waste streams are complex. Not all plastics are the same. And recycled plastics are not necessarily “better” – less harmful – than virgin plastics. If they contained harmful chemicals to begin with, recycling doesn’t make them less harmful. And sometimes they are contaminated by other substances.”
“[These authors] conducted a study identifying and measuring the concentration of contaminants in recycled pellets from 28 small-scale recycling facilities in the global south. Plastic waste is often exported from high income countries to less developed countries, with few to no requirements for reporting their makeup.”
[Their] investigation covered facilities in Cameroon, Mauritius, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo in Africa as well others in Asia, Europe and South America.
[They] found 191 pesticides, 107 pharmaceuticals and 81 industrial compounds among many others in the recycled plastic pellets. Many of these chemicals could be hazardous and make the plastics unsuitable for reuse.
This finding can inform regulations for recycled plastics. The chemical composition of the plastic should be checked before it is recycled…
[Their] findings emphasize the importance of regulating mechanical recycling, as many of the substances measured were contaminants and not plastic additives. Many of the chemicals we identified may have contaminated the materials during use. For example, a jug used for storing pesticides will absorb some of the pesticides and will contaminate the recycling waste stream. Plastics in the environment are also known to absorb organic pollutants.
To assess the quality of recycled plastics, it’s crucial to know which chemicals are present and in what concentrations. This information can guide regulations about how recycled plastics may be used. It will also be valuable for plastics producers, waste management workers (including recyclers), consumers, and the scientific community.” (Carney Almroth and Carmona Martinez, 2024)
Cut down microplastics use
“One of the most pernicious forms of plastic pollution is microplastics: tiny chunks that are, for example, abraded off car tires, washed out of textiles or released from products such as cosmetics. Microplastics are thought to make up 15–31% of the estimated 9.5 million tons of plastic released into the oceans each year. More than a dozen countries have banned microbeads from cosmetics, which has put significant pressure on companies to stop using them, says Thompson.
France has become first country to mandate that new washing machines have a microfiber filter, a policy that’s due to come into effect in January next year. Thompson’s group tested six such filters and found that some can be reasonably effective3; one reduced the amount of microfiber content in the wastewater by more than 75%.
Filters aren’t a panacea for microplastics in clothes, says Thompson, because about half of a garment’s fibres are shed during wear. A shift in how textiles are made would be more effective, he says, but this has proven a hard task for national legislation to tackle. “This is a classic example of why we need an international treaty,” says Thompson.” (Jones, 2024)
Tips to Cut Down Plastic Use in Your Kitchen: Reduce, Reuse and Refuse
- “Cutting boards, non-stick pans, mixing bowls, even tea bags: in the kitchen, plastics can be hidden in plain sight.” (Nowell, 2024)
According to Jessica Brinkworth, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
“Large macroplastics are a problem worldwide because we dump them on the shores of other nations,” she says, where things like plastic bottles block access to food for coastal nations and kill about a million people a year due to flooding, landslides and other environmental disasters. Much smaller plastics, like micro and nanoplastics, which are tinier than a grain of rice, “pose a whole other level of problem. Many types of plastic are endocrine disruptors,” meaning they disrupt the excretion and use of insulin, which can lead to obesity and reproductive health disorders.
Every year, we dump 10m tons of plastic into the ocean, killing a million marine animals annually. That plastic can work its way into our bodies from both the food we eat (most of our seafood contains microplastics) to how we cook in the kitchen.”
Shopping
The first and most important way to cut back on plastic use at the grocery store or supermarket, is to simply buy less. “Make a conscious choice to avoid buying products you don’t need and when you do, look for products that are made from sustainably sourced natural materials.” The more you cook from scratch, the less plastic you’ll use from packaged or highly processed foods.
If you haven’t already gotten in the habit of taking your own bags to the grocery store, start – and while you’re at it, consider adding your own reusable bags, which can be used for produce and other items.
Organic Cotton Eco-Friendly Bags
Shopping at traditional grocery stores isn’t your only option: more zero-waste shops are springing up (where you can bring your own containers or use non-plastic ones the store offers to take home exactly as many lentils or bunches of broccoli as you’ll use) and plenty of farmers’ markets allow customers to bring their own glass jars or produce bags so you’re not toting home plastic cartons. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to swap plastic milk cartons for glass bottles (and rekindle the nostalgia of a visit from the milkman) by opting into a milk delivery service.
Cooking
You might not think there’s very much plastic in your kitchen if you’re only thinking about clear packaging, but almost every household is home to at least some plastic kitchen appliances. Think about your cutting board, mixing bowls, non-stick (Teflon-coated) pans, spatulas, blender or food processor. Plastic appliances can release high levels of micro and nanoplastics, especially if your heating with, chopping on or blending in them.
Earlier this year, researchers at North Dakota State University published a study that found that chopping on plastic cutting boards can release millions of microplastics each year. Other recent research has counted the microplastics released from using plastic mixing bowls, blenders, kettles and non-stick pans.
The best way to avoid that? Switch your plastic appliances out for metal, glass or wooden ones where possible, says Brinkworth. But be careful when looking at wood or bamboo appliances that you consider the glue used to hold them together. Even just the glue used to seal a tea bag can release billions of microplastics. (Nowell, 2024)
Big Heart Tea offers plastic-free tea tags. Learn more at:
Big Heart Plastic Free Tea Bags
https://bighearttea.com/pages/plastic-free-tea-bags
Or try making your own loose-leaf tea
How to Make Loose Leaf Tea: A Step-by-Step Guide
Storing
Plastic wrap has easily one of the greatest impacts on the environment: we only ever use it once and it can take close to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. And plastic packaging – think cling wrap, sandwich bags and candy wrappers – makes up almost half of the plastic waste that ends up in the ocean. Therefore, it is important to think about reusable alternatives.
You can pick up reusable beeswax cling wrap at many grocery stores. Reuseable cling wrap is easy to clean but will eventually start to flake. However, a simpler solution for most people would be just to use mason jars,” which you can find for about a dollar a piece at many thrift stores. In general, switching to glass jars (or glass storage containers, if they’re in your budget) is better for the environment and your body. Plastic containers can leech cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting chemicals into your food. (Nowell, 2024)
Cleaning
If you thought you had cleared your kitchen of plastics, the prevalence of plastic in your cleaning routine might surprise you. Dishwasher pods get the worst rap (the polyvinyl alcohol wrapping doesn’t break down in water treatment plants), but if the interior of your dishwasher is made out of plastic, it’s releasing microplastics with every wash. Few dishwashers have no plastic whatsoever. Splurge for a stainless-steel interior (dishwasher) if you can afford it (or hand washing when your life allows).
Handwashing won’t get rid of all the plastics in your kitchen though either – if you’re using liquid dish soap, it’s likely packaged in a plastic bottle. Fortunately, a few brands have started selling dish soap bars and liquid dish soap packaged in cardboard. Most sponges are made of plastic too, but more stores are selling natural sponges and dishcloths as demand increases. Those can be worthwhile alternatives to keep plastic out of your own body, and from plastic slipping down the drain. (Nowell, 2024)
References
Bora SS, Gogoi R, Sharma MR, et al. Microplastics and human health: unveiling the gut microbiome disruption and chronic disease risks. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2024;14:1492759.
Bambridge-Sutton A. How microplastics affect gut health. Food Navigator – Europe. November 28, 2024. Available at: https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/11/28/microplastics-may-harm-gut-health/
Jones N. How to stop plastic pollution: three strategies that acutally work. Nature News. November 27, 2024. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03860-x
Plastic Tax, Levy & Penalty (2024). APChemi. Available at: https://www.apchemi.com/post/plastic-tax-levy-penalty-2024
Colombia to tax sales of single-use plastics in home and abroad. Reg Follower. May 15, 2024. Available at: https://regfollower.com/colombia-to-tax-sales-of-single-use-plastics-in-home-and-abroad/
Carney Almroth B, Carmona Martinez E. Dangerous chemicals found in recycled plastics, making them unsafe for use – experts explain the hazards. The Conversation. January 14, 2024. Available at: https://theconversation.com/dangerous-chemicals-found-in-recycled-plastics-making-them-unsafe-for-use-experts-explain-the-hazards-220498
Nowell C. Reduce, reuse, refuse: tips to cut down plastic use in your kitchen. The Guardian. January 4, 2024. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/04/how-to-reduce-plastic-use-kitchen-shopping-cooking-tips#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMake%20a%20conscious%20choice%20to,used%20to%20wrap%20frozen%20vegetables%2C