The National Ocean Service defines microplastics as any piece of plastic smaller than a pencil eraser, or around 5 millimeters in length. Some microplastics are even small enough to fit through some filtration systems. This leads many to question the dangers of microplastics.

Interestingly, there is a type of manufactured microplastic. These man-made polyethylene plastics are called microbeads. As the name suggests, they are small and round plastic beads. Microbeads are also the type of aforementioned plastics that can bypass filters. Users of beauty products, which are subject to these microbeads, don’t have to worry about microbeads any longer, as it was a thing in the past. In December of 2015, President Obama passed a Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, this completely banning microbeads. Although these beads are now banned, they have had lasting effects for those who had contact with them, such as energy homeostasis, and intestinal microflora.

Unsurprisingly, microplastics have a substantial impact on health. It’s not exactly ideal to consume any type of plastic, or amount for that matter. What is quite interesting is that some microplastics can get to as small as one micrometer, Harvard.edu says. That’s small enough to penetrate the cell nuclei, meaning it could pose a threat to DNA. To add to the concern, some microplastics have been reported to contain antibiotic resistant bacteria, meaning the bacteria within the plastics have an immunity to the antibodies that kill them.

Whether it’s trying to lower microplastic intake, or trying to get out of a bad habit, one must always be mindful. To be mindful, one must realize what items are made out of plastic, and what could make one consume microplastics. In reality microplastics are hard, even impossible in some cases, to avoid. 

Statistics provided by BBC state that ultra high processed foods are more likely to have higher levels of microplastic contents than lower processed foods. To add on, salts tend to have microplastics, especially sea salt, because of the contamination levels of the lakes, reservoirs, and oceans used to get this salt. By cutting highly-processed foods and developing the habit of rinsing foods before consumption, someone who eats fruits and vegetables on the regular can decrease the amount of microplastic contamination by a substantial amount. It’s as simple as that. It may not completely get rid of them but it can guarantee an improvement. 

There are many things people can do to avoid microplastics. Some of these things are easy, some are hard, but as it is with all things, consistency is key. There are so many benefits of avoiding microplastics such as protecting the ecosystem, improving health, and conserving resources.