Patients with microplastic and nanoplastic deposits in major arteries are significantly more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, or death, research suggests.

Microplastics are infiltrating the human body with unclear but concerning effects

In Indonesia, microplastics rain down when trash is burned, and people may ingest the equivalent of three credit cards per month—on average.

Microplastics have been identified across human body systems, with research finding they are most commonly ingested through inhalation, drinking water, and diet before crossing barriers into organs.

Research shows that over 1,000 metric tons of microplastics fall on national parks every year—equivalent to 120 million bottles of water.

Nanoplastics can bypass the blood-brain barrier and may harm the nervous system

Microplastics have been found everywhere there is liquid or vapor water, from the oceans and tropical waters to polar ice and the air we breathe, posing growing risks to wildlife and ecosystems.

Microplastics 101: What we know about the contaminants invading our bodies

Microplastics have been found across all of Earth's depths and altitudes, from plastic debris in the Mariana Trench to fragments found in snow samples near the summit of Mount Everest.

As of 2025, the FDA states that microplastics have not yet been shown to pose a risk to human health, though it acknowledges that evidence suggests microplastics and nanoplastics have entered the food supply.

Research suggests microplastics disrupt photosynthesis in plants and algae, and this damage in crops may already rival the impact of climate change on food supplies.

The prevalence of microplastics came from plastic’s affordability and versatility

The challenges of trying to study microplastics in microplastic-abundant labs

Microplastics have entered human food chains through carrots, wheat, and other foodstuffs grown on farmland fertilized with sewage sludge.

BPA-free plastics may still pose health risks because they often contain other structurally similar chemicals.

Synthetic textiles and tires account for more than 60% of ocean microplastic pollution, which enters the seas via runoff and wastewater discharge.

View the estimated decomposition times for various everyday plastic products, which often fragment into smaller microplastics as molecular bonds are weakened by sunlight.

Airborne microplastics may influence cloud formation and climate

From soil to beer, microplastic pollution is all around us

Scientists have found that sewage sludge used as fertilizer introduces various microplastics into soil, which persist in farmland for decades.

After swallowing 23 pieces of plastic, seabirds experience a 90% death rate

The amount of plastic chemicals in 300 everyday Bay Area foods

Mermaid tears are a long-lasting and hazardous form of ocean microplastic pollution, whose chemical composition enables them to contain higher concentrations of certain toxins than the surrounding environment.

Particulate matter is air pollution composed of solid and liquid particles so small that they can infiltrate the body's physical defenses and cause harm.

Most plastics are not biodegradable because breaking their chemical bonds requires temperatures lethal to most microbes, and these organisms have not been exposed to plastic long enough to evolve the necessary enzymes.

The global plastic crisis in images

Used since the 1940s, 'forever chemicals' include thousands of different types of substances routinely integrated into industry and consumer products, yet research suggests they can accumulate in the body over time.

When diving and snorkeling in environments containing reefs, avoid touching reefs, anchoring on them, or using sunscreen with active ingredients harmful to marine life.

As of 2023, more than 130 nations have enacted bans or restrictions on plastic items, starting with Bangladesh's ban on plastic bags in 2002.

During wash cycles, synthetic fabrics shed millions of plastic microfibers, making them a significant source of global microfiber pollution.

How existing technology could prevent nearly 80% of plastic pollution

What to do about the microplastics in your laundry

See this interactive global map that highlights which forever chemicals have been detected in specific wildlife species, providing data on hundreds of species exposed to these hard-to-breakdown substances.

In 2024, a survey of Japanese beaches uncovered plasticorals—a material in which melted plastic entered the pores of and mechanically fused to coral skeletons.

Learn about the seven types of plastic, including their recyclability, toxicity, health risks, and common uses.

Watch 'Last Week Tonight' explore the risks of 'forever chemicals,' a group of human-made chemicals used in everyday products to make them resistant to water, stains, grease, and heat. (Warning: language.)

Despite being derived from crude oil, which itself comes from organic material, synthetic plastic isn't biodegradable because it hasn't existed long enough for microbes to have developed mechanisms to break it down.

Particles found in Martian air pose significant risks to human lungs

Ultraprocessed foods are linked with a 58% elevated risk of developing dementia.

Chronic exposure to loud traffic noise is associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

How plastic manufacturing could be sustainable again

Autoimmune disease prevalence and incidence are on the rise—but no one knows why

How disruptions in oil markets can drive up the price of everyday goods

25 million pounds of beads are distributed every Mardi Gras, leading to environmental concerns

Pollution from lead battery recycling has led to widespread contamination

Review the health effects of living near oil refineries, including increased respiratory risks

Plastic debris across the ocean aids the spread of invasive species

Accidental ingestion of batteries can be life-threatening

Most of the 86,000 consumer chemicals registered with the US EPA have never received rigorous toxicity testing, though not all those are still in current use.

Diabetes has downstream effects on the heart, eyes, kidneys, and more

Forever chemicals are so common that experts concluded in 2022 that it's uncertain whether limiting consumer exposure would truly reduce one's exposure to these substances, and noted it would still take years for the body to clear them.