Microplastics Invade the Brain – How Can We Break Free from Plastic Anxiety?

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I. Plastic Crisis, Refreshed on a Timer

“Microplastics have entered the human brain – the weight of microplastics found in the brain even exceeds that of a plastic spoon.” Just a few days ago, several friends sent me this news headline.

Since joining an environmental agency a few years ago, I’ve become especially attentive to the materials in everyday products, and often – deliberately or not – warn friends about potential hazards. Over time, whenever friends come across related stories, they send them to me for a fact-check, and the questions that come up most concern plastic: “Can I store kimchi in a plastic container?” “Is it true that all black plastic is recycled plastic?”

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way. News about the dangers of plastic seems like a system notification that Earth Online respawns on a regular schedule – every so often, there it is again.

And every time a large marine animal washes up dead on a beach, the post-mortem invariably reveals “a stomach full of plastic bags”; go hiking or trekking and you’ll spend the whole route picking up litter, yet the mountains never run out of rubbish. After enough anxiety, it curdles into irritation. Some people stop reading these reports altogether, figuring, “I can only worry – I can’t change a thing. I may as well not look.”

This latest “microplastics have entered the brain” story triggered another round of panic among friends.

I wanted to reassure them: “They’ve simply detected plastic – it doesn’t necessarily harm the brain.” But the words were barely out of my mouth when I remembered that researchers have already found numerous links between microplastics and human disease. In the end, I gave a rather feeble reply – “Microplastics are in the air anyway; it’s not something we can completely shut out no matter how hard we try” – which only made my friends more anxious.

● Multiple studies have demonstrated that microplastics can damage the brain. In a 2025 study, a research team from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences and Peking University tracked the movement of microplastics in real time within mouse brains and found that immune cells engulfed the microplastics, causing the cells to become irregular in shape. These deformed cells then flowed rapidly through the bloodstream, became lodged in the capillaries of the cerebral cortex, and gradually accumulated within the vessels, leading to cerebral thrombosis, reduced blood flow (as shown below) and abnormal neurological behaviour.
● A photograph by Mandy Barker, depicting marine debris that mimics living organisms; plastic fragments are the most commonly found type.

Deep down, we know that the proliferation of plastic is a serious problem, yet for non-specialists it is extremely difficult to understand exactly what makes it harmful. We can barely tell which everyday items are made of plastic and which are not. A danger this pervasive inspires less fear than helplessness, anxiety and frustration.

At the height of my plastic anxiety, I wondered: is it even possible to avoid plastic in daily life? I joined a few short-term practice groups where we logged the amount of plastic waste each person generated every day and discussed ways to reduce it. We found that with great care you could manage one or two days of “zero plastic”, but not a single person could sustain it for 21 days. The day I finally broke the streak, a box of peaches arrived at my door. I tore off the plastic tape, and a dozen peaches tumbled out, each wrapped in foam mesh netting. That day my log read: “Generated an uncountable amount of plastic waste today.”

I couldn’t fault the fruit farmers for bagging their produce – every bruised fruit meant a loss to them, and the same applies for buying at a physical supermarket.

● Buying fruit at a brick-and-mortar supermarket makes plastic packaging almost unavoidable. Bagging fruit soon after it sets on the tree is a standard practice among growers to reduce losses.
Clearly, the plastic problem has already moved beyond our personal control. I once joked that the only cure for the “eco-anxiety” caused by plastic is Morita therapy: Carry the burden of plastic pollution, continue using plastic, and live on.

But does “living with plastic” truly mean we are helpless in the face of the problem? Is there not a second-best option – a way to protect ourselves as much as possible within the sphere we can actually control?

For me, taking the time to understand what plastic actually does to our health was the first step in facing my “plastic anxiety”.

II. What Are the Health Dangers of Plastic, Exactly?

The production of plastic is a complex and lengthy process. Put simply, you can think of it as fusing together “plastic monomers (synthetic resin granules) + additives” into a single material. When a plastic product ages and cracks apart, it does not simply revert to its monomers – instead it degrades into larger plastic fragments, microplastics and various additives.

● The composition of plastic and the products formed after initial ageing and fragmentation.

The main sources of health risk to ordinary people are microplastics and plastic additives. The more fragile and prone to damage a plastic is, the greater the quantity of these two it releases.

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres in diameter. A growing body of research suggests that microplastics may pose various health risks. A study published last year found that, compared with patients who had no detectable microplastics in their carotid arteries, carotid artery plaque containing microplastics was associated with a 3.53-fold increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke or all-cause mortality. Meanwhile, research on other organisms has shown that microplastics can trigger inflammation, cause foetal malformation and impair fertility. The highly porous physical structure of microplastics also gives them the capacity to adsorb heavy metals, antibiotics and other substances from the environment.

● The primary routes of microplastic ingestion in humans are inhalation and food consumption; each adult ingests an estimated 163,000 microplastic fragments per year.

Many additives are toxic in their own right, the most prevalent being phthalates and bisphenol A.

Phthalates (PAEs) are generally used as plasticisers to improve the pliability of plastics. Soft, flexible plastic products typically contain a higher proportion of plasticisers. Phthalates encompass a very large class of compounds; their content in plastic typically ranges from 10% to 60%, and can reach as high as 90%.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a resin monomer used in a wide range of applications: epoxy resin (food containers, beverage bottles, can linings), receipt paper, plastic water bottles, spectacle lenses, erasers and many more.

Because both of these substances share a structural similarity with oestrogen, they have both been found to disrupt the endocrine system.

● Common harmful plastic additives. Data compiled by the author; chart by Wang Ke.
Armed with the names of these toxic additives, you can go straight to the retailer with a rapid-fire three-part question: What material is this product made of? Does it contain phthalates or bisphenols? What are the safe conditions for its use?

III. Tips for Avoiding Toxic Plastics

After combing through the literature and putting things into practice over a period of time, I have more or less compiled my own set of “detox” habits. Feel free to adapt them to your own circumstances.

Tip One: Check the resin identification codes and avoid PVC and PS

● Common plastic types and their corresponding codes. Chart by Wan Lin.

The first thing any newcomer to the world of plastic should do is learn to read resin identification codes. These codes indicate the type of plastic and its intended use. Once a plastic is used outside its normal conditions, it can become hazardous – most people already have a basic sense of this; for instance, a PET water bottle should never be heated.

Among them, two plastics are particularly prone to releasing toxins and require extra caution in everyday use:

Plastic No. 3 – PVC (polyvinyl chloride) could be called the most dangerous plastic of them all. The reason is that pure PVC is far too brittle; large quantities of additives must be blended in to achieve workable performance. In soft PVC products such as shower curtains, plasticiser content can reach 60–70%. However, PVC monomers cannot bond stably with these additives, so once the product is manufactured, the additives begin leaching out at varying rates. This is why most PVC products carry a persistent “plastic-and-glue” smell – it is the odour of the escaping additives.

The most common PVC products include: plastic shower curtains, single-use packaging bags, plastic water pipes, stone plastic composite (SPC) flooring, cling film, various plastic cards such as credit cards, signage, placemats, cleaning brushes, powder puffs, children’s toy balls, stationery and raincoats.

● A typical product listing for SPC flooring. The marketing is deliberately misleading: as a plastic product, it genuinely needs no adhesive, hence the “zero-formaldehyde” claim. Sellers will tell you it is “SPC” (Stone Plastic Composite), but in essence it is still PVC mixed with stone powder. Because PVC resin remains the principal ingredient, the release of plastic additives into the environment is simply unavoidable. Image source: internet

Plastic No. 6 – PS (polystyrene) Also known as foamed plastics, expanded plastics, or Styrofoam, PS plastic is now most commonly seen in the foam-insulated shipping boxes used for transporting goods.

The monomer in PS (polystyrene) – styrene – is itself a carcinogen. Although PS plastic itself is non-toxic, it is extremely heat-sensitive: its safe use temperature is only 70–90 °C. At around 70 °C it begins to deform and collapse, releasing styrene and various additives.

Expanded polystyrene food containers, once commonplace, were already banned in China in 2020 due to their high risk. A search on Taobao will tell you that sales are prohibited under the “plastics ban” – and yet such products can still be found on the market.

It is worth noting that PVC and PS plastics are permitted for use in scenarios allowed by regulations. However, even under normal conditions, plastics slowly release their internal substances, so everyday use should still be avoided wherever possible.

Tip Two: Use Plastic for Food Packaging with Caution

Daily food intake is one of the primary routes through which the body ingests microplastics and plastic additives, and takeaway packaging is a hotbed of substandard plastic products. The high temperatures and heavy oils of Chinese cooking make it even easier for additives to leach out, so simply cutting down on takeaway orders already eliminates a significant portion of the risk. The best strategy for avoiding plastics is therefore to bring your own glass, stainless steel, or ceramic containers for takeaway food – or simply cook at home.

But these containers are all rather heavy, and an office worker lugging them on the commute feels like they are being punished. As a practical fallback, at least bringing a relatively safe PP (polypropylene) lunch box is better than nothing. By comparison, the risk they pose is far lower than that of the single-use containers provided with takeaway food.

● The airtight container I use for pickled vegetables is made of glass, which I find reassuring, although the lid is plastic (PP).
● The lunch box I used at work for a long time is PP (polypropylene). If the food was oily that day, I would transfer it to a ceramic plate before microwaving it.
● Ordinary paper disposable tableware is, in fact, very likely a plastic product as well, and may even be more hazardous than plastic food containers. If it claims to be waterproof and grease-resistant, it is either coated with a plastic film (which may contain Bisphenol A) or treated with a waterproof and grease-resistant PFAS coating (fluorinated waterproof and oil-repellent agents). PFAS comprises nearly 5,000 chemical substances; it is mobile and persistent in the environment, and has been shown to cause reproductive, developmental, liver, kidney, and immune problems in laboratory animals.

In addition, no matter what type of plastic packaging your food comes into contact with, you should always follow the rule of “no alcohol, low oil, never piping hot”– that is, do not store food containing alcohol or high amounts of fat in plastic containers, and do not use plastic containers for high-temperature heating.

Although the theoretical deformation temperature of the PP (polypropylene) used in most plastic lunch boxes is 120 °C, steam can reach this critical threshold, and heated oil can easily exceed 170 °C. It is therefore best to avoid placing plastic lunch boxes directly in a steamer or microwave for heating.

In fact, PP (polypropylene) is not an ideal freezer container either, because it becomes brittle below 0 °C and is extremely prone to shattering if dropped. Before I knew anything about plastics, I bought a batch of PP airtight containers for home use – most of them have already been smashed, and I am gradually replacing them.

If you absolutely must order a takeaway, try to prioritise dishes served at a lower temperature and with less oil, such as cold noodles or salad, or dishes with minimal sauce, such as hand-shredded chicken rice.

● By the time I bought containers for storing flour, I had learned enough about plastics to skip the plastic airtight boxes and go for glass jars instead. The rice container (off-screen) is still one of my old PP airtight boxes.

Tip Three: Do Not Reuse Single-Use Plastic Products for the Sake of Saving Money

Because they are never intended for reuse, single-use plastic products are not designed with material stability, durability, or ease of cleaning in mind. As a result, they are far more likely to shed microplastics and release additives during use. Reusing them may save money, but it also carries a certain risk – especially when used to store food.

● Disposable food containers, compared with reusable ones, have more crevices where grime can hide, and their thin material is more prone to scratching and shedding microplastics. Image source: internet

By contrast, pricier durable plastics tend to be more stable and safer, because their standard testing protocols include requirements such as “after 1,000 washes, the quantity of leached substances does not pose a health risk” and “after 1,000 abrasions, the surface remains intact without crumbling.”

Furthermore, many single-use products do not undergo the necessary cleaning and sterilisation during production. Even if they are tableware, complex dust particles and bacteria will very likely end up in our mouths along with the product. The Cantonese custom of rinsing tableware with tea before dining out is not entirely just superstitious comfort. If you have handled delivery packaging or other single-use plastic products, it is advisable to wash your hands afterwards.

In truth, when it comes to “use and toss” products, sellers care even less than consumers do about quality and safety. The issues concerning disposable underwear and sanitary towels recently exposed on 3·15 Consumer Rights Day confirm this point.

Many people do not realise that sanitary towels are also plastic products. The top layer of a traditional sanitary towel is either a perforated film (mesh-textured) or non-woven fabric (cotton-feel); fluff pulp is used only in the middle absorbent layer, and some products also contain superabsorbent polymers. The bottom layer is PE (polyethylene) film for leak protection. Liquid sanitary pads, meanwhile, have even less to do with plant fibres: their absorbent core is a patented polyacrylate foam, which is itself a type of plastic.

● An ingredient list disclosed by a brand of liquid sanitary pads.

I switched to a reusable silicone menstrual cup several years ago. Considering that, to this day, there is still no reassuring national standard for sanitary towels, readers who are concerned may wish to consider this option and take charge of cleaning and sterilisation themselves.

In addition, many single-use plastic products are not labelled with their plastic type, and identifying them by sight is virtually impossible. If you cannot tell what something is made of, try not to use it proactively. If you receive one passively, you can use it a limited number of times, but avoid using it as a food container.

● A bubble tea cup of unknown material; I suspect it is PET. I rarely drink bubble tea, so I found the cup charming and decided to repurpose it for storing odds and ends.

Tip Four: Ditch Cling Film and Food Storage Bags

Film-type products are arguably one of the most troublesome categories among single-use plastic items: soft, transparent, and thin – but every one of those qualities comes at the cost of durability and stability, and is achieved by incorporating large quantities of additives.

What is more, their “freshness-preserving” function is not all it is cracked up to be. Cling film and food storage bags have no inherent antibacterial or preservative properties; they work mainly by creating a barrier against air and contaminants. But sometimes they backfire – I am sure most people are all too familiar with vegetable leaves that have gone to mush inside a food storage bag. Vegetables I put straight into a fridge drawer without any bag keep perfectly well for half a month.

● Vegetables are stored directly in the fridge’s crisper drawer with an absorbent cloth underneath to prevent frost damage and rotting. They are also easy to grab, saving time and effort. This method lets me shop for vegetables only twice a month. The garland chrysanthemum on the left of the image has been stored for a full month and is only slightly wilted; after washing, it is still crisp and delicious.

For food that needs to be portioned and stored, stainless steel or PP (polypropylene) airtight containers are more than up to the task. Stainless steel freezes meat more effectively than food storage bags, and rigid materials will not freeze directly onto the food the way film does. Even a sturdy airtight bag is more robust than thin film.

If you feel you cannot do without either of these, I strongly advise at least avoiding PVC, and never heating them or letting them come into contact with oily foods when you do use them. Our household still uses airtight bags made primarily of PE (polyethylene), but I virtually never store oily food in them; pickled vegetables are always kept in glass airtight containers.

● In a chef’s cooking tutorial video, cling film is used to prevent steam from condensing onto braised pork belly below. While this may be common practice in professional kitchens, the vast majority of PE and PVC cling film is not heat-resistant. Do not try this at home. Image source: internet
At the same time, film-type plastic waste is far more difficult to recycle yet far more prone to leaking into the natural environment; once it entangles marine animals, they can barely break free. For environmental reasons alone, I am reluctant to use them, and our household has gone without both for three or four years now.

Tip Five: Turn Your Back on Non-Woven Fabric, Laundry Capsules, and Other “Hidden” Plastics

What we commonly call “non-woven fabric” is formally known as “non-woven textile” – a cloth-like material that, in most cases, is a plastic product, although a small proportion may contain natural fibres. Beyond packaging bags, non-woven fabric is used in everyday life for tea bags, sanitary towels, face-cleansing cloths (used as an alternative to cotton pads), and disposable cleaning cloths.

● In September 2019, a study from McGill University in Canada, published in the US journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that plastic teabags release tens of billions of plastic particles when exposed to high temperatures. The research showed that steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature (95 °C) releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into one cup of tea.
● Some merchants have upgraded the material of their non-woven teabags to “corn fibre.” Most descriptions, however, stop at stating the material is “corn fibre” rather than non-woven fabric, without explaining that its formal name is PLA (polylactic acid) plastic. Although PLA is a biodegradable plastic, it cannot prevent the release of microplastics. Image source: internet
● I generally use a French press and a gaiwan instead of teabags to meet my tea-brewing needs. The interior of the French press is made of borosilicate glass and 304 stainless steel; the drawback is that the stainless steel filter mesh can be somewhat difficult to clean, but soaking in hot water and bicarbonate of soda or running it through the dishwasher will clean it thoroughly.
Plastic products billed as “water-soluble” – the most common examples are laundry capsules and dishwasher tablets. I have also noticed some products recently using water-soluble plastic film for environmental reasons. I avoid all such products, because the commonly used materials – PVOH/PVA (vinyl polymers) and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) – claim to “degrade” in water, but this “degradation” does not mean breaking down into carbon dioxide and water; rather, they simply partially degrade into microplastics and additives invisible to the naked eye. The degradation behaviour of these microplastic particles in aquatic environments remains highly contested, and some studies have also pointed to their biological toxicity.

To me, deliberately generating enormous quantities of microplastics in exchange for a modicum of convenience is simply not a trade worth making. Moreover, because these products come in fixed doses, they are prone to overuse, and they cost considerably more than conventional detergents.

Four: The Safe Distance Between Us and Plastic

Everything described above is merely a strategy for coexisting with plastic; completely avoiding its harm is virtually impossible. Plastic products have permeated every aspect of human production and daily life – eliminating them entirely would be pure fantasy. In certain essential scenarios, plastic is simply affordable and effective; it is hard to imagine how hospitals could function without plastic IV tubing. Moreover, vast quantities of microplastics have already dispersed into the air and waterways as a fait accompli, and at our current level of technology it is impossible to keep them entirely out of human contact.

But do not let this fill you with anxiety. After all, “resolving plastic pollution” is a highly specialised public issue, and responsibility for it should rest with governments, businesses, and experts. When you start worrying that personal change cannot solve the problem, yet still feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety and helplessness, you can tell yourself, “I am not the primary party responsible for pollution,” and try to urge those who truly should make changes to fulfil their duties.

What remains for us to do is maintain a safe distance from plastic and use plastic products within safe, limited boundaries. Shifting your mindset matters: stop treating plastic products as disposable “convenience items” and see them instead as durable goods with specific use parameters. Just as metal cutlery should not go in a microwave and overglaze-decorated ceramics carry a risk of heavy metals, plastic can be used just as metal and ceramics are – but you need to mind the setting and stay safe. The truly dangerous thing is being surrounded by plastic in daily life yet knowing nothing about it.

Modern society is riddled with so many hazards to human health: antibiotic misuse, second-hand smoke, cooking-oil contamination… Plastic is simply one of the most commonplace. At the very least, the evidence shows that ingesting microplastics will not kill you on the spot, nor will you instantly become a “plastic person.” There is still hope for peaceful coexistence with plastic.

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Foodthink author

Doudou

Sustainable living practitioner who enjoys researching a consumption-free lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

All unattributed images are provided by the author

Editor: Wang Hao

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