Plastic is a crucial product in industrial production and it is pervasive in daily life. However, when plastic products break down, they turn into microplastics or nanoplastics, which are much smaller. Microplastics are plastic pieces smaller than five millimeters, while nanoplastics measure below one micron (1,000 nanometers).

According to Lin Xiaoxu, a virus specialist with a doctorate in microbiology, everyday plastic products “release” microplastics. Even synthetic textiles shed fiber fragments, and worn-out tires release plastic-containing dust.

Smooth plastic water bottles can also shed microplastics during washing. When these bottles are left out in nature, sunlight and ultraviolet radiation continuously break down the plastics into smaller particles, further contributing to microplastic pollution. (Related: STUDY: Microplastics in the body may aggravate cancer and spur metastasis.)

The following items also contribute to microplastic pollution:

• Bags
• Bottles
• Fishing nets
• Hygiene products
• Particles emitted from factories
• Textiles
• Tire dust

Unfortunately, humans and some animals often ingest some of these particles and other plastic particles accumulate and break down in oceans and soils. Marine organisms such as small fish, shellfish and shrimp, particularly those near coastlines, are more like to ingest harmful microplastics.

Lin explained that the main sources of microplastics are industrial waste and wastewater discharge, which can cause significant environmental damage if left untreated.

Before the wastewater is released from factories, it must undergo thorough processes like biological reactions, chlorination, membrane technology, sand removal, sedimentation, screening and ultraviolet treatment to remove more than 90 percent of microplastics. But complete elimination is not achievable even with modern technology and natural environments may take thousands to tens of thousands of years to fully degrade microplastics.

Health risks linked to microplastics

Microplastics usually enter the body through food and drink ingestion. On the other hand, nanoplastics can be inhaled.

Aside from directly irritating mucous membranes, microplastics can carry environmental microbes like bacteria and viruses into the body.

Lin said once people ingest something toxic, they will often say it can be washed out quickly. However, microplastics are very tiny particles that “adhere to the surface of the stomach.”

He warned that there is no guarantee that washing out microplastics will remove them. He added that the body needs to slowly eliminate them, but this increases “the burden on the body.”

Several studies have revealed that after exposure to ultraviolet light and microbial degradation in the natural environment, “microplastics become more adsorbent, forming complexes with various environmental pollutants on their surfaces, making them more toxic to organisms.”

Microplastics, which function as carriers for dangerous heavy metals and pathogens, exhibit various toxicities upon entering the body.

And while most microplastics ingested through food are excreted via feces, a small portion can remain in the intestines for several days. This can result in inflammation, intestinal damage and the disruption of gut microbiota.

Microplastics can eventually be absorbed into intestinal cells and enter the bloodstream, which can damage organs and systems throughout the body. Organs like the liver and kidneys and bodily systems such as the immune, nervous and reproductive systems are often affected.

The excessive inhalation of microplastics can also result in respiratory tissue damage and disease.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, most carotid artery plaques contain microplastics. While conducting the study, researchers worked with 257 patients aged 18 to 75 with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Researchers detected polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride in the removed carotid artery plaques of 150 patients (58.4 percent) and 31 patients (12.1 percent), respectively.

The research team reported that macrophages within the plaques contained visible foreign particles, some with jagged edges and chlorine content. They added that the patients with detected microplastics had over 4.5 times higher risk of heart attacks, strokes or death compared to the patients without microplastics.

Visit Microplastics.news for more stories about the dangers of exposure to microplastics and how to avoid them. Watch the video below for more information about the possible origins of microplastics.

This video is from the Finding Genius Podcast channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

• STUDY: Researchers found microplastics in all human placenta they tested.
• Avoid toxic contaminants like microplastics in salt by switching to Pink Himalayan Salt.
• Study: Humans consume over 1,000 microplastics particles every year through TABLE SALT.
• Study finds MICROPLASTICS in almost 90% of protein sources, including plant-based ones.

Sources include:

• TheEpochTimes.com
• NEJM.org
• Brighteon.com

(Mercola)—Nanoplastics — particles less than 1 micrometer in size, or 1,000th the average width of a human hair — have emerged as a significant environmental concern due to their widespread prevalence and potential health hazards to humans and wildlife alike. These microscopic fragments result from the degradation of larger plastic debris and can also be manufactured directly for various applications.

Nanoplastics have become ubiquitous in ecosystems around the world, from urban waterways to remote oceanic and terrestrial environments. Their pervasive presence is attributed to the widespread use and disposal of plastic materials globally.

Environmental Hazards

Nanoplastics pose several environmental hazards, including:

• Biodiversity loss — Nanoplastics can harm aquatic and terrestrial organisms, leading to reduced biodiversity. They have been found to cause physical and chemical stress in marine life, affecting growth, reproduction, and survival rates.
• Ecosystem disruption — Their presence in water bodies and soil can alter the chemical composition and physical properties of these environments, disrupting ecosystems’ balance.
• Food chain contamination — Nanoplastics can accumulate in the food chain, potentially leading to higher concentrations in top predators, including humans.

Microplastics Found in Food, Including Infant Formula

The environmental contamination is so severe, many foods now contain them, including chicken, pork, seafood, beef and plant-based meat alternatives, whether processed, minimally processed or unprocessed.¹ The more processing a food has undergone, however, the more plastic it contains.

Researchers estimate that Americans consume up to 3.8 million pieces of micro- and nanoplastics per year from protein alone.² The reason for this is because meats are packaged in plastic.

Recent research has also confirmed the presence of microplastics in all samples of infant formula tested (30 in all).³ The most frequently identified plastics were polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate. According to the authors, children fed exclusively infant formula likely consume an average of 49 microplastic particles per day.

Nanoplastics Linked to Heart Attacks and Stroke

The potential health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on humans have long been debated, but a recent study⁴ published in the New England Journal of Medicine marks a significant step in understanding the health implications of microplastic and nanoplastic exposure.

Microplastics and nanoplastics, defined by their minuscule size, can migrate through body tissues, potentially causing oxidative stress, tissue damage and inflammation.

Individuals with microplastics or nanoplastics in their carotid artery tissues have a 353% higher risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes.

The study in question analyzed tissue from 257 individuals undergoing carotid endarterectomy to identify plastics in arterial plaques, revealing the presence of polyethylene (associated with asthma, hormone disruption, reproductive issues and dermatitis⁵) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, linked to liver and reproductive damage⁶), among others. As reported by the authors:⁷

“Polyethylene was detected in carotid artery plaque of 150 patients (58.4%), with a mean level of 21.7±24.5 μg per milligram of plaque; 31 patients (12.1%) also had measurable amounts of polyvinyl chloride, with a mean level of 5.2±2.4 μg per milligram of plaque.

Electron microscopy revealed visible, jagged-edged foreign particles among plaque macrophages and scattered in the external debris. Radiographic examination showed that some of these particles included chlorine.”

Disturbingly, individuals with microplastics or nanoplastics in their carotid artery tissues were found to have fourfold higher risk of suffering a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke over the next three years compared to those without such plastics. They were also more likely to die from any cause. As reported by the authors:

“Patients in whom MNPs [microplastics and nanoplastics] were detected within the atheroma were at higher risk for a primary end-point event than those in whom these substances were not detected (hazard ratio, 4.53).”

A hazard ratio (HR) of 4.53 means that people with microplastics in their arteries have a 353% higher risk of suffering a potentially lethal cardiac event than those without microplastics.

Should Microplastic Exposure Be Considered a Cardiovascular Risk Factor?

Lead author Raffaele Marfella emphasized the need for further research to confirm these findings,⁸ although the study already suggests a strong association between plastics and cardiovascular events in people with atherosclerosis.

The study’s implications are significant, according to pediatrician Dr. Philip Landrigan, who stressed the importance of addressing the potential cardiovascular risks posed by microplastics and nanoplastics in an accompanying editorial:^9,10

“Although we do not know what other exposures may have contributed to the adverse outcomes among patients in this study, the finding of microplastics and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough discovery that raises a series of urgent questions.

Should exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics be considered a cardiovascular risk factor? What organs in addition to the heart may be at risk? How can we reduce exposure?”

Nanoplastics Pose Severe Hazards for Animals and Humans

CNN, which reported the findings, also highlighted research linking nanoplastics and microplastics to other potential harms, such as:¹¹

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Chronic inflammation — The presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in arterial plaques was linked to increased inflammation. Chronic inflammation, in turn, is a hallmark of most chronic diseases, not just cardiovascular disease, suggesting that plastic exposure could exacerbate or increase susceptibility to a wide variety of conditions.

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Dysfunction of cells, organs and endocrine system — Nanoplastics, due to their small size, can migrate through tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream, invading individual cells and tissues in major organs. This can potentially interrupt cellular processes and deposit endocrine-disrupting chemicals, affecting the body’s normal functions.

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Oxidative stress and tissue damage — Studies in animals have shown that exposure to micro- and nanoplastics may cause oxidative stress, tissue damage, and inflammation in cells. These effects could lead to various health issues, depending on the extent and duration of exposure.

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Impaired cardiac function — Animal studies have also indicated that micro- and nanoplastics can alter heart rate and impede cardiac function, posing additional risks to cardiovascular health.

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Risks to fetuses and young infants — Research in pregnant mice has found plastic chemicals in the brain, heart, liver, kidney, and lungs of the developing fetus within 24 hours after the mother ingested or inhaled plastic particles. This suggests that plastics can cross the placental barrier, potentially affecting fetal development.

Previous studies have also found microplastics in the human placenta¹² and human breast milk¹³ — clear evidence that a mother’s plastic exposure can be directly transferred to her child both before and after birth.

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Microbiome alterations — Studies have also found that microplastics can alter the makeup of microbial communities, reducing diversity¹⁴ and increasing the exchange of antibiotic-resistant and metal-resistant genes.¹⁵

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Progesterone Counteracts Xenoestrogen Exposure From Plastics

In the featured video at the top of this article, best-selling author and high-performance coach Siim Land reviews the research linking arterial nanoplastics to a near-fourfold higher risk of cardiovascular events.

As noted by Land, microplastics contain xenoestrogens, which have been linked to obesity, infertility, cancer and more. Indeed, estrogen is a known carcinogen,¹⁶ and plastics is perhaps one of the most ubiquitous sources of estrogen for men and women alike.

Estrogen is also antimetabolic and radically reduces the ability of your mitochondria to create cellular energy in a form of ATP by depending on aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) which radically impairs oxidative phosphorylation.

To counteract the hazards of this estrogenic exposure you can use progesterone, which is a natural estrogen antagonist. Progesterone is one of only four hormones I believe many adults can benefit from. (The other three are thyroid hormone T3, DHEA and pregnenolone.)

As a general recommendation, most adult males and non-menstruating adult women would benefit from taking 25 to 50 mg of bioidentical progesterone per a day, taken in the evening one hour before bed, as it can also promote sleep. For optimal bioavailability, progesterone needs to be mixed into natural vitamin E. The difference in bioavailability between taking progesterone orally without vitamin E and taking it with vitamin E is 45 minutes versus 48 hours.

Pre-menopausal women can also take progesterone but it is the last half of their cycle, approximately 14 days after the last day of their period and stopping when period returns. Another good reason for taking progesterone with vitamin E is because it binds to red blood cells, which allows the progesterone to be carried throughout your body and be distributed to where it’s needed the most.

Simply Progesterone by Health Natura is premixed with vitamin E and MCT oil. You can also make your own by dissolving pure USP progesterone powder into one capsule of a high-quality vitamin E, and then rub the mixture on your gums. Fifty milligrams of powdered progesterone is about 1/32 teaspoon.

Do not use synthetic vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate — the acetate indicates that it’s synthetic). Natural vitamin E will be labeled “d alpha tocopherol.” This is the pure D isomer, which is what your body can use. There are also other vitamin E isomers, and you want the complete spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols, specifically the beta, gamma, and delta types, in the effective D isomer.

I do not recommend transdermal progesterone, as your skin expresses high levels of 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which causes a significant portion of the progesterone you’re taking to be irreversibly converted primarily into allopregnanolone and cannot be converted back into progesterone.

Preventing Exposure Is Key

Of course, prevention — minimizing your exposure — really needs to be your first line of defense against microplastics. While that sounds easy enough, it can be tricky business, for the simple reason that micro- and nanoplastics are all around us, in our food, water, household dust, clothing, household and personal care items and even the air we breathe.

That said, making a concerted effort to rid your household of plastic can go a long way toward minimizing your and your children’s exposure. Here are a few pointers to get you started:

• Filter your tap water and avoid water bottled in plastic — If you need to buy bottled water, opt for glass bottles. Also make sure the filter you use to purify your tap water can filter out microplastics.
• Boil hard tap water — If you have hard tap water, consider boiling it before using it for cooking or drinking, as hard water traps more microplastics. Recent research shows boiling hard tap water for five minutes removes up to 90% of the microplastics in the water.¹⁷
• Choose alternatives to plastic packaging — Opt for products packaged in glass, metal, or paper instead of plastic. This can significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste that potentially breaks down into microplastics. At home, use wax paper, parchment paper or paper bags to store foods rather than plastic wrap.
• Use reusable containers — Replace single-use plastic bottles, cups, and containers with reusable alternatives made from safer materials like stainless steel or glass.
• Never microwave plastics — Heat can cause plastics to leach chemicals into food. Use glass or ceramic containers for microwaving.
• Avoid plastic cutting boards — Opt for wood or glass cutting boards instead.
• Opt for natural fibers — Whenever possible, choose clothing and other textile products made from natural fibers like cotton, wool and linen, as synthetic fabrics such as polyester shed microfibers and leach xenoestrogens.
• Wash synthetic clothes less frequently — When washing synthetic textiles, use a microfiber filter in your washing machine to trap synthetic fibers and prevent them from entering the water system.
• Opt for food grade cosmetics and personal care products — Some cosmetics, toothpastes, and personal care products contain microbeads or other plastic particles. Look for products free of these materials. Ideally, opt for all-natural, food grade products.

How to Detox Microplastics

Even if you’re diligent about avoiding plastics, some exposure will likely remain, so detoxing is another important strategy. Land cites research showing that blood donation can lower the levels of certain plastic chemicals in your blood, such as PFAS. If your iron levels are high, getting regular phlebotomy would help you kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, as blood donation is also the only way to lower your iron level.

One of the most effective ways to excrete microplastics from your tissues though is through sweating. I recommend using a near-infrared sauna with low EMFs for this purpose, as the near-infrared rays can penetrate far deeper into your body than far-infrared.

Other benefits of sauna use include improved cardiovascular fitness and reduced all-cause mortality, lower blood pressure, reduced dementia risk, improved mental health, strengthened immune function, improved athletic endurance, reduced inflammation, stem cell activation, improved insulin sensitivity and a reduction in stress hormones.

General Guidance for Sauna Use

Classical Finnish saunas are typically heated to 170 degrees F. or higher. An infrared sauna will rarely get that high, however, which means you may need to stay in a bit longer to get a good sweat. A benefit of SaunaSpace’s near- and mid-infrared bulbs is that you’re heating up from deeper within, so the air temperature doesn’t need to be as high as a traditional sauna for you to sweat.

As a general recommendation, stay in the sauna for 20 to 30 minutes, or until you reach subjective fatigue, which is a sign that you’ve maxed out the benefits you’re going to get. It’s not about reaching a point of suffering — just that point where you’re feeling mildly anxious and tired and want to get out.

As for the frequency, research has consistently shown that it’s dose-dependent, so the more often you do it, the greater the benefits. The sweet spot seems to be right around four times a week, because you’ll also be losing minerals along with toxins. So, you need to rehydrate and replenish those minerals to avoid mineral deficiencies.

For more details, including how to build your own near-infrared sauna, see “Near-Infrared Sauna Therapy — A Key Biohack for Health.”

• ¹ The Epoch Times January 10, 2024
• ² Newsweek January 13, 2024
• ³ Food Chemistry May 15, 2024; 440:138246
• ^4, 7, 15 New England Journal of Medicine March 6, 2024
• ⁵ Million Marker, Polyethylene
• ⁶ NACHI.org PVC Health Hazards
• ^8, 10, 11 CNN March 7, 2024
• ⁹ New England Journal of Medicine Editorial March 6, 2024
• ¹² ZeroHedge March 9, 2024
• ¹³ Polymers 2022; 14(13): 2700
• ¹⁴ BJOG April 2024; 131(5):675-683
• ¹⁶ Science Daily December 13, 2002
• ¹⁷ ZeroHedge March 8, 2024

As you will see below, it is well known that plastic pollution causes very serious health problems in humans.

The big corporations that produce all of this plastic know this, but they just keep doing it anyway. Our politicians also know what all of this plastic pollution is doing to us, but they won’t lift a finger to stop it.

Could it be possible that the billions of cancer-causing plastic particles that are getting into our food are a form of global population control? Consider that question as you read the rest of this article.

One team of researchers recently tested 16 types of protein that were purchased from two supermarkets in Portland, Oregon, and they discovered that 90 percent of the products they purchased were polluted by plastic…

The majority of meat and plant-based alternatives contain tiny plastic pieces linked to cancer, according to a study that comes a day after bottled water was found to be loaded with the toxins.

Scientists tested 16 types of protein – including chicken nuggets, beef steaks, fish fillets and plant-based burgers – which showed that humans consume plastics no matter the source of protein they choose.

Ninety percent of the products contained nanoplastics – which scientists fear can accumulate in your vital organs with unknown health implications.

No matter what you decide to eat tonight, it will probably contain plastic particles.

Of course the same thing is true for what we drink.

Another recent study found that bottled water in particular is absolutely loaded with plastic…

The shocking results appear to echo that of a study released on Monday, which found an average of 240,000 nanoparticles in a one-liter bottle of water, compared to 5.5 per one liter of tap water.

University of Columbia researchers tested three popular brands of bottled water sold in the United States – and, using lasers, analyzed the plastic particles they contained down to just 100 nanometers in size.

There was a time much earlier in my life when I drank a lot of bottled water.

I will not make that mistake again.

But of course none of us can get away from the plastic pollution completely.

It has been estimated that 40 percent of the dust in our homes is now made up of plastic.

And it is being reported that the amount of microplastic pollution on our ocean floors has actually tripled over the past two decades…

The amount of microplastics found at the bottom of oceans has tripled in 20 years. Once microplastics land on the seafloor, they no longer degrade, either due to a lack of erosion, oxygen or light.

Even if we stopped using all plastic tomorrow, the plastic that we have already discarded would continue to break down into smaller and smaller pieces for decades to come.

So the damage has already been done.

Sadly, all of this plastic is having an absolutely enormous impact on our health…

But some estimates say that plastics-related diseases kill more than a million people each year globally and experts believe the chemicals may be contributing to a mysterious rise in cancers in young people.

The new study, by New York University researchers, estimated that in 2018 alone, exposure to the microplastics cost the US healthcare system $289 billion.

Just look at that figure.

That is a ton of money.

Numerous studies have linked microplastic exposure to cancer.  Here is just one example…

In an article published on September 24, 2023, in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Gregory M. Zarus and co-authors from the Office of Innovation and Analytics, Atlanta, USA, reviewed 34 studies on the occupational health effects of microplastic exposure and found a relationship between polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles and liver toxicity.

The authors screened the literature for publications focusing on worker exposure to microplastics that also reported health outcomes. Of the 34 included studies, 17 concerned PVC and 17 more included five other plastic types. Separating the reported effects by plastic type, Zarus et al. found “an increased risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to high concentrations of PVC microplastic ‘dust’ particles.” Besides effects on the respiratory system, exposure to PVC was further associated with liver damage including lung cancers. These human outcomes were confirmed by the animal exposure studies the authors also had a look at.

Numerous studies have also linked microplastic exposure to infertility.

The following study was actually posted on the official NIH website…

Due to the problematic degradation properties of plastics, the decomposition of plastic results in the formation of numerous microplastics (MPs), less than 5 mm in diameter. These MPs enter the soil and the ocean, eventually passing through the air, water, or food chain back to the human body and harming human health. In the last 80 years, male semen analysis parameters have shown a significant decline for unknown reasons, speculated to be caused by pollutants. No studies examined the relationship between human MP exposure and male infertility. In this article, we reviewed the relevant animal experimental research literature in recent years and calculated that the minimum human equivalent dose of MPs leading to abnormal male semen quality is 0.016 mg/kg/d. The literature comparison found that MP exposure in Japan and South Korea was close to this value. These results suggest that MPs can affect male semen quality and that MPs may significantly impact male fertility.

For a deeper dive into the impact that microplastics are having on our health, I would recommend reading a book that I published a couple of years ago.  This is literally one of the greatest environmental problems that humanity has ever faced, but it gets so little attention from the media.

Before I end this article, I wanted to mention another study that was recently conducted by Consumer Reports which found plasticizers in almost all of the food products that they tested…

CR tested 85 food items from 11 categories—beverages, canned beans, condiments, dairy, fast food, grains, infant food, meat and poultry, packaged fruits and vegetables, prepared meals, and seafood, according to the Jan. 4 report. Researchers examined the presence of plasticizers—a chemical used to boost the durability of plastics. The group analyzed two to three samples from each food item, looking for two types of common plasticizers—bisphenols and phthalates—as well as some of their substitutes.

They found that these chemicals remained “widespread” in our food products despite “growing evidence” of health risks. CR discovered that 79 percent of tested samples had bisphenols while 84 out of 85 items had phthalates.

Exposure to such plasticizers can cause severe health issues, like for example in children, bisphenol A (BPA) exposure can negatively affect the brain and prostate glands as well as their behavior. BPA has also been linked with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and high blood pressure.

I am so glad that Zero Hedge published the article that I quoted above, because plasticizers really do “cause severe health issues” in humans, but most people in the general population that use these products have no idea.

History will look back on us as “the crazy plastic people”, and the way that we run our society really is killing us.

I realize that there is so much going on in the world right now, and an article about plastic may not be as exciting as some of my other articles. But this issue is of paramount importance.

If we continue to go down this road, we will slowly kill ourselves and everything around us.

Our politicians and the big corporations that produce all of this plastic know exactly what is happening, but they refuse to put an end to the madness. So for now, we will continue to commit societal suicide…

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.