The microplastics lurking in your home – and how to avoid them (and why it might be time to buy a wooden chopping board)

From kitchenware to home furnishings and even children’s toys, microplastics are everywhere – even if you can’t see them.

Perhaps most alarmingly, tiny bits of man-made material have even found their way into the food, water and air we breathe.

In fact, the average person may ingest 5 grams of plastic per week, the equivalent of eating a credit card, researchers say.

Studies have linked microplastics to the development of cancer, heart disease and dementia, as well as fertility problems. And there are fears it could leave babies dangerously underweight, but scientists admit the long-term effects are still a mystery.

So, how can you avoid them in your home? We asked the experts…

Cleaning

Even dust in the crevices of your home can contain microplastics, particles less than 5mm wide.

In 2019 scientists It is estimated that approximately 16 pieces of microplastic enter our airways every hour.

Inevitably, some of this comes from exposure in our own homes, since we spend so much time there. So in theory, regular vacuuming and dusting will keep you from ingesting as much.

But be careful what you use to clean because you could unknowingly make the problem worse.

Research shows that cleaning products such as sponges, microfiber cloths and kitchen brushes made from synthetic fibers release microplastics when you use them.

Instead, experts recommend using products made from natural fibers, such as cotton and linen.

‘There is a wide range of fibres, synthetic polymer-based and natural fibres,’ says Professor Stefan Krause, an expert in ecohydrology and biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham.

‘I think the most important thing is to make products that release as few particles or fibers as possible.’

Avoid plastic cutting boards

Although convenient and easy to clean, consider replacing your plastic cutting board with a wooden one.

That’s because you can ingest microplastics just by chopping your food, as evidenced by the deep grooves and slashes created when chopping and slicing on the cutting boards.

A 2023 American Chemical Society study found that plastic sheets are a substantial source of microplastics in human food.

Scientists measured the tiny particles released from plastic cutting boards that had been repeatedly struck with a kitchen knife.

They compared the chopping patterns of five people on a plastic board and other materials as they chopped carrots.

Food preparation, their results suggested, could produce 14 to 71 million pieces of one type of microplastic and 79 million of another type of microplastic each year.

Professor Krause says using a plastic cutting board can increase your exposure to microplastics in your food and says wooden boards would cause ‘less production of microplastics through wear and tear’.

Avoid non-stick pans

Nonstick cookware has already been linked to the dangers of forever chemicals, but these cookware can also release thousands of microplastics into your food.

According to a 2022 study, just a small scratch on a Teflon-coated nonstick pan can release more than 9,000 microplastics. study.

Australian researchers developed an algorithm to count how many small particles are released by such invisible scratches caused by daily use.

Using this algorithm, researchers estimate that as many as 2.3 million microscopic pieces of plastic could be released in the time it takes to prepare a meal when a pan’s non-stick coating breaks down.

Using stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic pots and pans is the best way to avoid additional exposure to microplastics, according to experts.

Filter water

In Europe, about 72 percent of tap water samples contain plastic fibers analysis of the WWF in 2019.

In the US it is even worse: 95 percent of samples appear to contain plastic.

But boiling and filtering water is one way to remove most of these microplastics from what we drink.

Researchers from Jinan University in China found that boiling water and then filtering it with a coffee filter removed almost 90 percent of microplastics linked to cancer and reproductive disorders.

These microplastics are so ubiquitous that they were found in 129 of the 159 tap water samples from 14 countries around the world in the study.

Researchers found that boiling water was especially effective when used on “hard” water, or water with high concentrations of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

At high temperatures, limescale will solidify, effectively ‘caking’ the plastic particles and making them easier to remove through a filter, the study found.

Buy natural fibers

Many of our homes are covered in plastic materials, from the clothes we wear to our pillows, curtains, carpets and even children’s stuffed animals.

Although cheaper than natural alternatives, man-made fibers can end up in the dust and air we breathe in our homes.

Professor Fay Couceiro, an environmental pollution expert at the University of Plymouth, explains that people exposed to extremely high levels of microplastics can develop asthma-like symptoms, tissue damage and fibrosis.

But she assured that you are unlikely to reach these toxic levels outside an industrial environment where such substances are manufactured.

However, swapping out a few things in your home will reduce the amount you inhale, she says.

‘Carpets are associated with higher levels of microplastics in the air in homes, so switching to non-plastic carpets or removing carpets could reduce microplastics,’ Professor Couceiro told MailOnline.

She emphasized that this is not just limited to carpets, but other home furnishings, such as sofa covers and cushions, can also be replaced with natural fibres.

Professor Couceiro added: ‘Much of our clothing is also made of plastic, so moving away from polyester and nylon clothing would also reduce the number of microplastics you come into contact with.

‘These changes would reduce the number of microplastics you inhale.’

Making these changes could even reduce the number of microplastics you eat, she explained.

That’s because you can inhale and swallow them, otherwise the microplastics can fall on your food.

Avoid single-use packaging

It is almost impossible to avoid plastic on food in modern life.

Fruits, vegetables, meats and microwave meals are all wrapped in plastic that we can end up eating unintentionally.

But avoiding single-use containers, such as bottled water and ready-made meals, can help reduce the amount you end up consuming.

“Foods may contain microplastics, but we cannot avoid that,” warns Professor Couceiro.

‘What we can do is reduce the extra microplastics that come from plastic packaging, cooking with plastic cutlery or even cooking in the plastic itself.’

To reduce your consumption of microplastics, she suggests removing all single-use packaging.

For example, removing the packaging from microwave meals or microwaving the packaged vegetables and instead cooking the food in glass or ceramic cookware.

She adds that using plastic spatulas or other utensils may not help.