[agnos]

Yeah, people aren't paranoid enough about this IMO. Legislation needs to catch up with research coming out about the serious health impacts.

Reducing personal exposure seems possible. I mean, realistically there are only so many ways microplastics can enter the body, so it's a matter of managing your "attack surface".

Of course there's no way to know what the impact really is, but what we've done in our household in the past few years:

- Eating/drinking: started using glass food containers, ceramic cookware, silicon kitchen utensils. Got a good reverse osmosis water filter, stopped buying bottled water.

- Skin: lots of fabrics are derived from plastics these days, so try to get 100% cotton. Do research on skin products you use every day.

- Air: get a good air purifier and run it throughout the day. Even if the windows are closed, furniture can off-gas microplastics into the air. HEPA air filters for your car, pretty easy to install yourself.

[mapmap]

What would make a good replacement for a plastic cutting board for use with meat?

[cpach]

I use wooden cutting boards for that, works very well.

[agnos]

Silicone -- easy to throw in the dishwasher, too.

[Two4]

Does silicone not contain plasticizers?

[jejeyyy77]

this sounds like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.

do you go outside? cars on pavement roadways are one of the biggest sources of microplastics.

do you buy prepackaged food/drinks/groceries?

do you eat out?

[agnos]

The question was how to reduce your exposure, not eliminate it. Of course you can't be 100% clean from microplastics, but why not do what you can given what we currently know?

Yes, freeways are major sources of microplastics and yes, I drive on a major freeway daily. That's why I suggested getting a HEPA filter for your car. Does it make a huge difference? Probably not, but the cost of doing so is also very low.

Some studies suggest that indoor air can contain more microplastics than outdoor air [1]. I doubt this is true in busy metropolitan areas, but the point is that indoor air matters. If you're spending half of your time at home, why not get an air purifier and run it when you sleep?

All of the things I listed are small steps you can take to manage your long-term exposure. Even if it's only by a few percent, the cost of getting an air or water purifier is relatively lower. Like I said, we'd need top-down legislation changes to really reduce the presence of microplastics everywhere.

It seems like you agree that this is a problem, so what are you proposing we do?

[1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...