Microplastics: research and commentary

I’ve been collecting items on microplastics, for which research is finding increasing evidence for harm to human and environmental health.  Here are some relatively recent examples of what’s out there on this topic.

NOTE:  Today and Tomorrow: NIH is holding a hybrid Workshop on Micro[nano]plastic Measurement for Population Studies: link to registration is here.

Should we be worried about microplastics?  

• How big a problem are microplastics? The first global study of its kind quantifies the problem in the food and drink industry… Read more
• Microplastics and plastic bottles: How worried should we be?  The issue of microplastics and nanoplastics are increasingly coming into consumer consciousness… Read more

How do microplastics get into food?

• Research: Ultra-processed foods are a key driver of the global plastics pollution crisis: Rob Ralston, Katherine Sievert, Kim Anastasiou, Joe Yates & Jennifer Clapp. Comment | 09 April 2026 Nature Food 7 | doi:10.1038/s43016-026-01341-0.
• Microplastics are ‘widespread’ in cheese: here’s how this happens: Cheese is ripe in microplastics, a groundbreaking study revealed… Read more
• BBC News: Study Identifies Microplastics in Majority of Commercial Pet Foods: Researchers at the universities of Sussex and Exeter found microplastics in 16 of 19 pet food brands, with higher exposure linked to feeding patterns. The findings highlight potential food system contamination and prompt calls for regulatory testing. Read More

What’s needed?

• Food and Water Watch: 250+ Health Professionals Call on EPA to Monitor Microplastics in Drinking Water:  Over two hundred and fifty doctors, nurses and other health care and public health professionals and organizations sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to add microplastics to the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) and monitor for these contaminants in our drinking water.
• IFT’s Food Technology Magazine:  Can Food Packaging Go Plastic-Free? The authors detail the environmental drivers, emerging materials, and research priorities shaping the transition from fossil-derived plastics to bio-based and circular solutions for food packaging. Read More
• Beverage Daily: 6 ways to keep microplastics out of food and drink: Microplastic contamination poses significant risks for consumers… Read more

And what is the EPA doing about this?  Nothing, alas.

• EPA Fails to Take Meaningful Action on Microplastics: Food & Water Watch condemns EPA for failing to include microplastics in proposed drinking water monitoring program. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a draft of the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), which sets forth which contaminants the agency will require monitoring for in drinking water. The draft rule shows that EPA does not plan to require monitoring for microplastics over the next five years.