The Invisible Crisis: Why Your Brain May Contain a Teaspoon of Microplastics

By: Mission Microplastics

Microplastics

As Linda Geddes states in 2025, “our cerebral organs alone may contain 5g of the stuff, or roughly a teaspoon”. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters long that have been found in our bloodstreams, lungs, and even our brains. We once advocated for the reason that microplastics harm ocean life, but current research states that microplastics are also a health hazard to human populations and are a global environmental threat. 

This issue mainly stems from increased plastic production and marine exposure to plastic pollution. All of these increase the chance that the microplastics circulate through our food, air, and water, affecting the youth. Minimizing the harm of these plastics in youth would demand educating individuals about the issue, spreading awareness of sustainable products, and implementing laws through global regulation.

From Ocean Trash to Human Tissue: A New Health Hazard

Humans are constantly exposed to microplastics through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact, which can lead to long-term health consequences that go beyond environmental problems. This is supported by Stephanie Dutchen, who explains that microplastics “have been detected throughout the human body, including in the blood, saliva, liver, kidneys, and placenta,” illustrating how our own pollution has entered our bodies in the most specific places. 

As Geddes further states in 2025, “microplastics have been detected in the brains of dementia patients, and in arterial plaques from people with heart disease”, proving that the toxic chemicals present in the environment cause damage to the biological systems. This shows that harming the environment also harms human health. 

These findings show us how connected the environment and humans are. When humans cause harm to the environment, they are indirectly harming themselves as well, emphasizing the need to make sure the environment is safe in order to keep our health safe.

The Problem: Overproduction, Waste, and Global Circulation

Overproduction of plastics and the improper disposal of waste have exacerbated the issue of microplastic management.  According to a 2025 study by Myers and North, “up to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into the world’s water systems every year”, underlining how the overproduction of humans has increased, presenting challenges for maintaining ecological balance. 

Valizadeh et al. support this by explaining how they “are prevalent in the environment and circulate between environmental compartments via rivers and the atmosphere, thereby affecting locations far from the sources of MP pollution”. The environments in distant areas are also contaminated by human pollution and industrialization, which highlights the crucial need for ecological balance in our systems. 

A Global Call to Action: Education, Regulation, and Hope

The next point is maintaining a healthy relationship between our human population and the environment by educating, regulating, and implementing strict laws globally. Myers and North emphasize that “Concerted and urgent action is required” to solve or mitigate the issue of microplastics both environmentally and medically, showing us how immediate action must be taken, and waiting longer can exacerbate the issue. 

Li, Zu, Yang, Quo, and Li further emphasize that “there is an urgent requirement for the implementation of controls of the use and emission of MPs at national levels”. Educating individuals, promoting awareness on the topic, and implementing strategies and laws will make our relationship with nature stronger and are important to mitigating the harmful effects of exposure to microplastics.

In conclusion, the research done on the emerging issue of microplastics shows that it is not just an environmental or marine issue, but also a major concern for human health. We are persistently ingesting, inhaling, and making contact with microplastics every day, increasing the potential to harm us in the future. In order to protect ourselves from microplastics, we have to enforce stricter policies, spread awareness, and make sure that our future stays healthy and sustainable.

Author: Thanvi Yadlapalli

Mission Microplastics aims to spread awareness about the emerging issue of microplastics and raise funds to support microplastic research. Check out our Instagram @missionmicroplastics 

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Work Cited:

Dutchen, S. (2023). Microplastics everywhere. Harvard Medicine; Harvard Medicine. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplastics-everywhere

Geddes, L. (2025, October 12). The plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/12/plastic-inside-us-microplastics-reshaping-bodies-minds

Myers, J., & North, M. (2025c, February 19). Microplastics: Are We Facing a New Health Crisis – and What Can Be Done about it? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/02/how-microplastics-get-into-the-food-chain/

Nihart, A. J., Garcia, M. A., El Hayek, E., Liu, R., Olewine, M., Kingston, J. D., Castillo, E. F., Gullapalli, R. R., Howard, T., Bleske, B., Scott, J., Gonzalez-Estrella, J., Gross, J. M., Spilde, M., Adolphi, N. L., Gallego, D. F., Jarrell, H. S., Dvorscak, G., Zuluaga-Ruiz, M. E., & West, A. B. (2025). Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nature Medicine, 31(31). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1

Nyoni, H. (2025b, February 4). Microplastics: Sources, health risks, and how to protect yourself. Institute of Energy and the Environment. https://iee.psu.edu/news/blog/microplastics-sources-health-risks-and-how-protect-yourself