Microplastics: The Invisible Threat to Your Health and Our Planet

Did you know the average person may be ingesting a credit card’s worth of plastic every single week? Microplastics and nanoplastics are everywhere—from the deepest ocean trenches to the highest mountain peaks. But they’re not just polluting our planet—they’re infiltrating our bodies and quietly wreaking havoc on our health.

In this episode of Wellness Connection MD, Dr. McMinn and Coach Lindsay expose the invisible threat of microplastics and nanoplastics. You’ll discover how these “forever chemicals” enter your body through the food you eat, the water you drink, and even the air you breathe.

Recent research indicates that 100% of humans, including newborns, now carry plastic particles in their bodies. Linked to dementia, heart attacks, strokes, infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, and more, these plastics are not passive bystanders. Some of their effects may even be passed down to future generations.

Beyond our bodies, they’re devastating ecosystems—poisoning rivers, oceans, wildlife, and the very soil we depend on for food. The human cost is staggering, and the financial toll amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare and lost productivity each year.

In this podcast, you’ll learn:

• How microplastics infiltrate your food, water, air, and everyday products—often in ways you’d never suspect.
• Cutting-edge research linking plastic exposure to heart disease, gut issues, reproductive problems, and neurodegenerative conditions.
• Why children and future generations face the highest risks.
• Practical steps to reduce microplastic exposure at home, in your community, and through policy advocacy.
• How small, individual actions—multiplied—can spark global change.

The plastics industry and government have long downplayed the dangers—but awareness is the first step toward change. If this episode opens your eyes, share it with friends, family, and your community. Together, we can reduce our plastic use, demand corporate accountability, and protect the only planet we have.

For resources, tips, and ways to get involved, visit McMinnMD.com. Let’s turn knowledge into action—for ourselves, our children, and our one and only Earth.

Stay curious. Stay informed. And remember—small actions can lead to big changes.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing the Microplastic Crisis
• 9:20 Health Impacts of Microplastics
• 17:56 Cardiovascular and Gut Health Dangers
• 21:54 Reproductive and Brain Health Effects
• 30:36 Environmental Impact on Oceans
• 36:03 Practical Solutions for Individuals
• 41:22 Advocacy and Collective Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hello, this is Dr McMinn. Did you know that you're probably ingesting a credit card's worth of plastic every single week? Tiny particles called microplastics and nanoplastics are in your food, your water and even the air that you breathe. Research shows that 100% of people, including newborns, carry these forever chemicals in their bodies, and this includes you. These small plastic particles have been linked to heart attacks, dementia, infertility and much more. Once they're in you, there's no way to get them out, so the key is prevention. Globally, health care costs due to plastics top $1.5 trillion every year, and plastics are also devastating our environment, both on land and especially in our oceans. The first step to change is awareness, so we'll show you where these toxins are hiding, how they're damaging your health and what you can do to protect yourself and your environment. This beautiful Mother Earth that we live on is our one and only planet. It's not like we can trash this planet with toxins and then someday move to pristine planet B. The time to act is now.

Speaker 2: 0:59

Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD podcast with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsay, where we bring you the latest up-to-date, evidence-based information on a wide variety of health and wellness topics, along with practical take-home solutions. Dr McMinn is an integrated and functional MD and Lindsay Matthews is a registered nurse and IIN-certified health coach. Together, our goal is to help you optimize your health and wellness in mind, body and spirit. To see a list of all of our podcasts, visit wwwpickmanmdcom and to stay up to date on the latest topics, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast player so that you'll be notified when future episodes come out. The discussions contained in these podcasts are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. Please do not apply any of this information without approval from your personal doctor. And now on to the show with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsey.

Speaker 1: 1:55

Hello and welcome to the Wellness Connection MD Podcast with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsey, the evidence-based podcast on all things wellness, where we bring you honest, commercial-free, unbiased, up-to-date and evidence-based information, along with practical solutions in order to empower you to overcome your healthcare challenges and to optimize your wellness in mind, body and spirit, and to become a great captain of your ship when it comes to your health and wellness. We thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Dr Jim McMinn and I'm here with our co-host, registered nurse, extraordinaire and certified health coach, ms Lindsay Matthews. Good morning, coach.

Speaker 3: 2:30

Welcome back listeners. It's so good to be here and I'm excited for this topic.

Speaker 1: 2:39

It's a hard one, but worthwhile. That's right. Coach, today we're going to take a deep dive into something that's literally inside all of us right now as we speak, and it's wreaking havoc on our health, and it's a topic of microplastics and nanoplastics.

Speaker 3: 2:49

Sounds scary and interesting at the same time. By the end of this episode, we hope that we'll all understand why microplastics might be one of the biggest health crises of our time and what you can actually do about it.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Now, coach, you're way too young to remember this, but many years ago there was a really good Academy Award winning movie called the Graduate, with Dustin Hoffman In the movie. The character played by Hoffman was just graduating from college and was kind of flapping in the breeze with no really idea as far as what he wanted to do with his life. So in one scene at his college graduation party, this old rich codger came up to him and said I have only one word of advice for you quote plastics, end quote, insinuating that the money was being plastics. And guess what? He was right. Well, dustin Hoffman's character did not follow his advice, but eventually a lot of other people did.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Coach, today humans emit more than 250 billion tons of chemical substances a year into our environment and we produce about 450 metric tons of plastics worldwide every year. Coach, it's really hard to wrap my head around that. So let's try to visualize that. You've seen pictures of the Great Wall of China. Right, right, huge, right Goes for 1,300 miles long. It's real wide. Well, if you can imagine, that's enough plastic to build the Great Wall of China, but 25 times thicker every single year. Oh my gosh, that's a lot of plastic.

Speaker 3: 4:08

Every year.

Speaker 1: 4:09

The fact is, coach, that we've become totally dependent on plastics. It is almost impossible to avoid them in our modern-day world. To be fair, not all plastic is bad. Plastics have revolutionized health care. Think of sterile syringes, iv bags and heart valves. Think of sterile syringes, iv bags and heart valves. But the sheer volume of plastics and the lack of responsible disposal planning was tipping the balance in the direction of a looming crisis. One more thing, coach, before we proceed.

Speaker 1: 4:33

For those of you who have been with us a while, hopefully you know by now that we try to be evidence-based, unbiased and we shoot straight with you. There are those of you who are going to think that this is all hyperbole. Probably some folks out there who think that global warming doesn't exist and evolution is a hoax, but I just want folks to know that we're trying to tell it like it is and to wake folks up to a very serious issue that we have swept under the rug. I recently read a list of the greatest existential threats to human life on Earth as we know it, and this issue of toxins, including plastics, was number seven, behind things like nuclear war, pandemics, global warming and such. So we hope that you'll take this seriously and hop on board to spread the word and be a part of the solution.

Speaker 3: 5:11

So what happens to that plastic? As it turns out, about half of that plastic produced is single-use only. So that's your wrappers, your drinking straws, plastic bottles, plastic bags. We use them one time and then we throw them out. So let's be clear there are easily some other, more biodegradable options that we could be using instead of these one-time use plastics. When we throw these things away, where is the away? About 40% of the plastic ends up in the landfill. Unfortunately, plastic in landfills does not biodegrade, so it just breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics, which contaminate our ecosystem for centuries or even thousands of years, and these things just don't go away. Specifically, in the US alone, less than 1% of single-use plastic bags are actually recycled. Around 19% of plastic waste is incinerated, which releases greenhouse gases and toxic compounds into the air, which then, of course, negatively impacts our environment and our health.

Speaker 1: 6:21

You know, coach, sadly, over 20% of plastic waste completely escapes any semblance of waste management and ends up as pollution in our rivers. Coach, sadly, over 20% of plastic waste completely escapes any semblance of waste management and ends up as pollution in our rivers, oceans and landscapes. This leads to about 11 million metric tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. Next time you're driving down the road, just look around the roadside and look at all the plastic bottles and trash. It seems like a lot of folks, coach, just think that Mother Earth is just their own personal trash can.

Speaker 3: 6:44

Agreed. I still remember the day I was driving down the road with a friend and she just opened the window and threw something out and I was shocked.

Speaker 1: 6:52

I know.

Speaker 3: 6:52

But she truly didn't. She thought that's just what you did.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Her mama and daddy never taught her to do it, that's why we have to teach our children better. Lindsay Right, I see people throwing their cigarette butts down and I think, hey, this is my earth too. I don't want your cigarette butt. These are not evil people, coach, no, no. But we have to change people's mindset, and that's why we're talking about this, to try to bring awareness to this issue.

Speaker 3: 7:14

Yes, the awareness is that, unfortunately these plastics in our waterways, they slowly degrade into microplastics and then they're further broken down into nanoplastics, so we have that getting smaller and smaller idea and then it contaminates the soil, the water, the food chains and this poses risks to both wildlife especially marine life, like we talked about in the oceans and then human health at broad.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Coach, every moment of our lives we're exposed to thousands of these substances. Small plastic particles get into our bodies and cause a whole host of health problems. A 2020 study from the journal Environmental International found microplastics in human stool samples from participants across eight countries at a detection rate of 100%. So if you think you're not affected, then you need to think again, because no matter where you live, you cannot escape them. These plastics are coming for you, coach.

Speaker 3: 8:04

And your poop's talking about it, that's right, the poop doesn't lie. That's right. So these invisible particles, they're in our blood, they're in our lungs, our reproductive organs, our brains and just about every other organ system. You'll even find plastics in breast milk, placentas and newborn babies.

Speaker 1: 8:24

Isn't that sad, coach, these little newborn babies born with plastics.

Speaker 3: 8:27

Yes, and here's the kicker Most people have no idea what they are or how they're affecting our health. So we're here today to really shine some light on this dirty little secret that the plastic industry and our government don't want you to know about, and just as a reminder. The first step to change is awareness, and that's where we're at.

Speaker 1: 8:47

All right, coach, let's break it down for folks. When you throw that plastic bottle into the river, the bottles gradually break down into small particles less than five millimeters, called microplastics that's smaller than a grain of rice. And eventually those microplastics are broken down into even smaller particles, called nanoplastics, and these are so tiny you have to have a microscope to see them. They're even small enough to bypass our body's natural filtration system, such as the lining of the lungs and the gut, and sometimes they can even go right through the skin. They're super tiny, but they're large enough to cause mechanical damage and to carry along with them some toxic compounds.

Speaker 3: 9:22

So where do they come from? So we have the obvious answers. Like plastic bottles, but also every time you wash synthetic clothing, thousands of microfibers go down the drain and end up in our water supply. And guess what? Your average municipal water supply is not able to filter out these nanoplastics, so they get dumped into a creek or we end up drinking them again.

Speaker 1: 9:46

And when you drive your car, tiny plastic particles wear off your tires and become airborne. These airborne nanoplastics have been increasingly detected in indoor and outdoor air samples. These airborne nanoplastics pose a significant emerging threat to human health by causing respiratory inflammation, systemic oxidative stress, immune dysfunction and potentially contributing to neurodegenerative processes.

Speaker 3: 10:08

In fact, the list of sources of plastic exposure. It could go on and on. There are so many sources, it's impossible to list them all. However, one more surprising source I'll just briefly mention is teabags. This one shocked me. It surprised me Steeping a single teabag can release around 11.6 billion microplastics. One teabag 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of tea. Plastics are everywhere and they sneak up on you in really unexpected places.

Speaker 1: 10:44

Yeah, and industrial processes, of course, are a major cause of plastic contamination in our environment. The result of these plastics are absolutely everywhere. Microplastics have been found in the deepest parts of the ocean, at the top of Mount Everest and in Antarctic ice. You literally cannot escape them. There is no corner of the planet that is untouched. A 2019 study documented that airborne plastic particles can travel over 100 kilometers through the atmosphere.

Speaker 3: 11:10

It's in our tap water, bottled water, even the expensive brands. They're in our food, like seafood, and they literally fall from the sky in raindrops. One study found that we're breathing in nanoplastics with every breath, especially indoors, where concentrations can be even higher.

Speaker 1: 11:29

You know, and the scary part, coach, is they get right inside of us in our bodies. Some of the smaller nanoplastics go right through our membranes and they spread through every single organ system. Think about it we are the first generation in human history to have plastics literally integrated into our bodies, and the repercussions of that are really kind of mind-boggling, coach.

Speaker 3: 11:47

Yes, Scientists estimate that the average person takes in tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of these particles every year. Some studies suggest that we consume about a credit card's worth of plastic on a weekly basis. Oh wow, Coach, that's a lot.

Speaker 1: 12:03

It's hard to imagine.

Speaker 3: 12:04

Incredible. The main food sources of plastics are seafood, especially shellfish and smaller fish, sea salt, meat, dairy products, root vegetables, fruits, honey, sugar, beer, soft drinks, tap water, bottled water and processed foods.

Speaker 1: 12:22

Oh no, coach, don't tell me I've got to cut out my beer, all right. So what's the big deal here? What does it mean for our health? Well, the research that is emerging is very deeply concerning. Let's start with the systemic inflammation. Some experts suggested up to 80% of all chronic diseases and deaths worldwide are attributable to inflammation-related conditions, and a 2020 study from the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives found that all major inflammatory markers were consistently elevated in patients with increased microplastic exposure.

Speaker 3: 12:54

Let's take a closer look at the number one cause of death worldwide, which is cardiovascular disease. So there was a landmark study that was published in 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Which is the number one journal in the world, right.

Speaker 3: 13:07

And it looked at patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, which is surgical removal of the plaque buildup in arteries that causes heart attacks and strokes. They found microplastics and nanoplastics in the arterial plaques of over 58% of the patients.

Speaker 1: 13:27

Yeah, they concluded that patients with microplastics in their arterial plaques had significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death from all causes. We're talking about 4.5 times the higher risk of heart attack and about two times higher risk of stroke. Coach, these are not small numbers. So you know, when you extrapolate that out and look at all the kajillion people who have heart attacks, coach, that's a significant number of people. In fact, they approximate that 16 million heart attacks are caused each year worldwide by plastic exposure.

Speaker 3: 13:56

So let's talk about something that affects the majority of us, and that's our gut health. So numerous studies have shown that microplastics are wreaking havoc on our gut microbiome.

Speaker 1: 14:07

And a 2020 study from the journal Environmental Health Perspectives demonstrated that microplastics increase intestinal permeability, which we call leaky gut, and this allows toxic and pro-inflammatory compounds to enter into our bloodstream.

Speaker 3: 14:19

Another gut effect is that microplastic exposure altered bile acid metabolism and short-chain fatty acid production in the gut, both of which are crucial for gut health, metabolic health, immune function and our brain function as well.

Speaker 1: 14:34

So one aspect of health effect of microplastics is particularly alarming, and that is the effect on our reproductive and hormone health. Microplastics are acting as endocrine disruptors, meaning that they interfere with our body's hormone health. Microplastics are acting as endocrine disruptors, meaning that they interfere with our body's hormone systems and, as such, microplastics are sexist, coach. They pick on women much more than they pick on men, although, as we'll discuss, men are not totally immune from the effects of microplastics either. I remember years ago I heard a lecture by a Harvard University board-certified OBGYN who stated that, quote girls who drink out of plastic bottles have more PCOS. Wow, coach, I was really blown away when I heard that and think about that for a minute Girls who drink out of plastic bottles have more PCOS. Now, we did a whole show on PCOS, so I won't go back and through all the detail on that, but just to say, for many women who have it, it's not a trivial disease. And, coach, at least in America, what girl doesn't drink out of plastic bottles? They're everywhere.

Speaker 3: 15:28

Right.

Speaker 1: 15:28

And yet, have any of you women or girls out there had ever had a doctor to advise you to not drink out of plastic bottles? I think probably never. Coach Right.

Speaker 3: 15:39

Agreed.

Speaker 1: 15:41

I mean Coach, you think about it in your lifetime. You're 29 now, right?

Speaker 3: 15:44

Yes, yes, in my 20s, yes, so, in all these many years.

Speaker 1: 15:48

Has a doctor ever told you to avoid plastics?

Speaker 3: 15:51

Other than the one I'm sitting across the counter, from who gifted me water bottles. Yeah, yeah, no, you're one of a kind, yeah okay In the practice.

Speaker 1: 16:00

we used to actually give out water bottles healthy water bottles Glass. We used to actually give out water bottles healthy water bottles glass. We gave out some aluminum bottles, but we gave them away as gifts because we wanted people to stop using plastic. It was important to us.

Speaker 3: 16:12

Agreed, yeah, and I appreciate that. Pcos affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age and it causes irregular periods, fertility problems, weight gain, metabolic issues like diabetes and many more problems. A 2018 study in environmental research found that women with PCOS had significantly higher levels of plastic-associated chemicals in their blood, like BPA and phthalates, that commonly adhere to microplastics and endometriosis, where the uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain and fertility problems. That's also been linked to exposure to plastic-associated chemicals.

Speaker 1: 16:55

For us men, folks, the sperm counts have dropped significantly. A 2017 meta-analysis and human reproductive update documented a 52.4% decline in sperm concentration among Western men between 1973 and 2011. Wow, coach, that's a lot. That's over half of the sperm count. Microplastics have been found directly in sperm samples, and they've been associated with reduced sperm quality, motility and concentration. So, as a result, both men and women are experiencing infertility issues at an unprecedented rate, and microplastics appear to be playing a significant role.

Speaker 3: 17:32

Let's talk about something even more concerning the effects of microplastics on our nervous system. As we have stated on a previous show, neurological diseases are the number one cause of illness on the planet. The latest studies show that microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in the brain tissue. Current research suggests that microplastics contribute to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, parkinson's and other forms of dementia. Concentrations of nanoplastics were found up to 10 times higher in people diagnosed with dementia compared to those without, and there is a dose-dependent relationship between plastics and dementia.

Speaker 1: 18:15

It's kind of scary, isn't it, Coach? Yes, yeah, it is Now. For you young people, dementia may not be on your radar, but for us older folks I mean gosh, it seems like it's everywhere.

Speaker 3: 18:24

Dementia may not be on your radar, but for us older folks, I mean gosh, it seems like it's everywhere and I think that's a number, a huge fear that people have one day is losing their mental capacity.

Speaker 1: 18:29

I think it's the number one fear of older folks is dementia. No-transcript in newborns and a 2014 study in environmental health perspectives found that prenatal BPA exposure, a common microplastic-associated chemical, was associated with altered brain structure and behavior in children. The clinical expression of this may be things like autism, adhd, emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, cognitive deficits, memory problems and abnormal sensory and motor reflexes.

Speaker 3: 19:19

The genetic toxicity evidence for microplastics is extensive, based on decades of research showing that microplastics induce DNA strand breaks and chromosomal aberrations in human cell cultures. Other studies have revealed that microplastic exposure altered DNA methylation patterns, which cause diseases that can be inherited and then passed on from generation to generation.

Speaker 1: 19:45

Isn't that scary, Coach? As it turns out, a lot of other harmful toxins hitchhike on microplastic particles, Things like heavy metals such as mercury, persistent organic pollutants like BPA and industrial chemicals. These are particularly threatening to the nervous system. Studies have found that plastics can concentrate persistent organic pollutants from seawater up to a million times higher than surrounding water concentrations. Wow, Coach, a million times. That's a lot of hitchhiking.

Speaker 3: 20:20

Agreed the chemicals we add to plastics in plastic production, including plasticizers, flame retardants, antioxidants and UV stabilizers, many of which are known endocrine disruptors or carcinogens.

Speaker 1: 20:34

Pathogen transport is another emerging concern. A study from the journal Water Research found that microplastics can serve as vectors for pathogenic bacteria and viruses, potentially facilitating the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms and emerging infectious diseases.

Speaker 3: 20:49

So when we give space to microplastics and nanoplastics, they bring other bad company too. So what is this costing us as a society, besides being sick, debilitated and dying early unnecessarily? As a society, besides being sick, debilitated and dying early unnecessarily? Early estimates suggest that plastic pollution could be costing the US healthcare system hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and globally the costs are staggering, estimated to be over $600 billion.

Speaker 1: 21:18

Now, coach, let's take a breath here. $600 billion related to this problem, that's huge.

Speaker 3: 21:24

Yes, it is, and that doesn't include hundreds of billions due to lost productivity. And as we learn more about the health effects of plastics, then these cost estimates are bound to go up even further. We're in a literal science experiment. We are so, no matter how you slice it, we're looking at a massive economic burden to society from pervasive plastic pollution.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Yeah, coach, it's really kind of frustrating. As a society, we don't seem to be willing to do the right thing on the front end by regulating and managing plastics, so we're paying for it dearly on the back end, both in terms of direct economic costs and also in pain and suffering and disease and mature death. So, Coach, I think one reason we do value the importance of this topic is that we rarely look at medicine from the root cause point of view. The science is crystal clear that plastics cause all these diseases that we've been talking about. There is no debate about it. But yet when you go to your doctor, does he or she ever mention it? No, of course not.

Speaker 1: 22:25

There's a real disconnect here, coach. We doctors pretend to be scientists, but we are totally ignoring the inconvenient truth when it comes to the science of plastics and toxins and their effect on our health. In medical school they never teach us about toxins, and this major issue is completely off the radar screen. In clinical practice, we're still practicing at a what I call symptom pill level in clinical practice, where you go to your doctor, they make a diagnosis and they give you a pill or they do surgery, but they never really ask the fundamental question of why the patient got the disease. If we did ask that question, then we might be able to help that patient and many others in the future and that's really what functional medicine is all about, Coach.

Speaker 3: 23:04

Yes, it's a super inconvenient truth. It would be much preferable to handle this issue like an ostrich and stick our heads in the sand. It's not just human health we're talking about. Plastics are devastating on our entire environment and, at the end of the day, this beautiful, beloved Earth that we live on is the only planet we get, and so we need to take care of it. We just can't disrespect it, trash it and with forever chemicals and then take a joyride to the next place where we can start all over. We depend on this web of life for our own survival and I would say so far our track record is not very good, and as a mother of two little ones, it's a big concern for me. It's huge, it's profound and really does make me want to change and be a voice so that the world that we're leaving our children is better than what we're describing here.

Speaker 1: 23:57

Bear with me, Coach, a bit for focusing on the environmental impact, but before I went to medicine, I was actually an environmental engineer, so I care deeply about this stuff. And let's start with the ocean, since they seem to be taking the major hit from plastic pollution. Every year, about 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean. This is equivalent to a huge garbage truck dumping a whole load of plastic into the ocean every single minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Now this is crazy, Coach. It almost sounds like some twisted science fiction story in a dystopian world, but it's all too real. There's a blob of trash out in the Pacific Ocean that is so big it even has a name. They call it the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's a vast soup of plastic debris up to several meters thick and covering about 620,000 square miles. It contains almost 130,000 metric tons of plastic garbage. It starts out as larger objects like nets, bottles and bags, but then it breaks down into microscopic and nanoplastics.

Speaker 3: 25:13

Then the microplastics and the nanoplastics get into the marine ecosystem and have devastating and wide-reaching effects on marine life, impacting organisms from big whales to the smallest tiny plankton. And when you look at larger plastics like nets, ropes, traps, all those things made of plastic, these items kill an estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises annually through just them physically being entangled with it. Many other creatures, including seals, turtles and fish, suffer injuries, limb loss or death when trapped by plastic debris and seabirds, turtles and other animals can become entangled in rings, bands or packaging waste, leading to drowning or death in rings, bands or packaging waste, leading to drowning or death.

Speaker 1: 25:44

Then there's a serious issue of ingestion Many marine species, such as turtles and whales, they mistake plastics for food. For instance, a turtle consumes a plastic bag that he thought was a jellyfish, and whales have been found to have tens of kilograms of plastics in their stomachs, leading to blockages, starvation and even a painful death.

Speaker 3: 26:03

When the larger plastics are broken down into microplastics, these accumulate everywhere, from surface waters to the very deepest trenches of the ocean, and these plastics are now found in every level of the marine food web. Microplastics also act as carriers, like we've said before, for other toxic chemicals which can then further poison animals or disrupt their metabolism and reproduction. The presence of microplastics in plankton and other base-level organisms threatens the entire ecosystem by disrupting nutrient cycling and photosynthesis processes, which are critical for ocean health and oxygen production.

Speaker 1: 26:43

Now Coach. Microplastics are also disrupting the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide. The ocean is one of the planet's major carbon sinks, helping to mitigate climate change, but microplastics are interfering with this process, thereby contributing to global warming.

Speaker 3: 26:57

So, in summary, when it comes to our oceans, plastic pollution is driving a silent, ongoing tragedy, threatening biodiversity, disrupting the ecosystems and directly harming the health and survival of countless marine species and ultimately affecting human health.

Speaker 1: 27:14

The effect on land is not much better. Coach Plastics accumulate in terrestrial environments, sometimes even higher concentrations than in marine systems. They alter soil structure, affecting agricultural productivity. Nanoplastics, along with their adhered toxins, are absorbed right through the plant roots and accumulate in plant tissues, passing up the food chain as they enter the human consumers.

Speaker 3: 27:35

Plastics also affect the health of bee colonies and one might ask, why should I care about bees? As it turns out, those little bees are critical for global food production, since we count on the bees to pollinate our crops, and plastic pollution is considered a major driver of terrestrial biodiversity decline and ecosystem degradation across all land-based habitats.

Speaker 1: 27:57

You know, Coach, I'm really sorry to hit the listeners with all this doom and gloom, but we're trying to get folks to wake up from a slumber on this issue of toxins in our environment and on this plastics issue in particular. If you study this issue, you'll see that there is a universal urgent call to arms to do something about this looming crisis, but it seems that almost nobody is listening.

Speaker 3: 28:15

It's like we're all on a big bus speeding towards a huge cliff and we notice that the bus driver is asleep at the wheel and nobody has the courage or the willingness to go up there and grab the wheel or try to hit the brakes.

Speaker 1: 28:27

So we're coming at you today on this issue to help to amplify the alarm bell. But talk is only beginning. Now we need to walk the walk as individuals and as a society, especially for future generations. So what can we do to move the needle in the right direction?

Speaker 3: 28:41

Let's start at the individual level you and me and let's get practical. The first thing that we can do is reduce single-use plastics. Every piece of plastic that you don't use is plastic that won't eventually become microplastic pollution. For instance, keep some cloth bags in the car and when you go grocery shopping, use those instead of the one-time-use plastic or paper bags. And when you go grocery shopping, use those instead of the one-time-use plastic or paper bags. Other single-use products like straws, stirrers, ziploc bags, plates, bowls, cutlery cups, lids, containers, trays, packaging, wet wipes, sanitary items, q-tips, balloons, cling wrap, plastic gloves, laundry detergent pods, detergent and shampoo bottles, disposable medical waste and, of course, the big one, plastic bottles. Let's just try to be more mindful that there's a lot of really great alternatives out here and we can do our best to just start limiting what we are consuming.

Speaker 1: 29:35

All right, coach, I'm looking across the table and I see you bought this beautiful water bottle right? So tell me about that.

Speaker 3: 29:40

Yes, this is just my nice metal water bottle.

Speaker 1: 29:44

Right. And so you could have had a plastic bottle, which would have not only been bad for the environment but bad for you, Right? And so you made a wise choice. So what I'm getting at is, with every single one of those things that Lindsay mentioned, you can make wise choices Right and it matters. So I encourage you all to kind of put on your thinking caps and think how can I make a difference there?

Speaker 2: 30:11

So like, for instance, when you go out to dinner and the waiter brings you a straw, say no, thank you.

Speaker 1: 30:14

Well, unless you want a straw. But for me I just soon drink out of the glass, and so I say no, thank you Now. If you don't say it right away, they won't take them back, Right. So you have to right away.

Speaker 3: 30:21

Before they put it on the table.

Speaker 1: 30:22

Yeah, and if you've got to get takeout you can refuse the plastic cutlery unless you need it.

Speaker 3: 30:29

Sometimes you can carry your own reusable set if needed. Absolutely so. Use those refillable water bottles for our beverages rather than buying the plastics and then for food storage. Switch from plastic wrap and disposable sandwich bags to there's beeswax wraps or silicone bags or glass containers, and use those to store your food. Also, look for products with little or no plastic packaging.

Speaker 1: 30:52

Choose natural fibers over synthetic clothing when possible and use quality items designed to last and consider air drying synthetic clothes. Also consider buying some of your clothing at a thrift store or vintage store or some other sort of clothing exchange to increase the lifespan of the clothing and to keep it out of landfills.

Speaker 3: 31:10

I love a good consignment sale. Dr Mack, I'm actually wearing thrifted attire today, so it goes well with our podcast.

Speaker 1: 31:17

Yeah, it's one of my favorite shirts I've bought at those kind of places.

Speaker 3: 31:21

Yes, they're already soft, they're worn in.

Speaker 1: 31:26

I think my daughters actually have I don't know what you call. Them buy clothes on these kind of clothing exchanges. Do you know about those?

Speaker 3: 31:33

I've used some websites that sell or people are selling their clothes.

Speaker 1: 31:40

That they're done with yeah, yeah, yeah, it's pretty cool.

Speaker 3: 31:42

Yeah, also, we can maintain or repair and reuse plastic items rather than just throwing them away. We can also donate or sell unwanted but still usable plastic products rather than filling up our landfills, and we're going to list some of these resources for you as well. On mcminnmdcom, we'll list a bunch of options for swapping, donating or repairing plastics, and so go check that out, listeners.

Speaker 1: 32:08

Yeah, there really are a lot of options there, so we'll have a good list there for you. But to also use plastic-free personal care products, opt for bar soaps. I used to get the soaps in the little plastic. Now I always get bar soaps wrapped in paper.

Speaker 1: 32:20

The soap itself is biodegradable. The paper is biodegradable Shampoo bars, toothpaste tablets, bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic package products and support brands who use glass, paper or biodegradable materials. There's some stores out there called zero waste shops where you can get all sorts of bulk products, from foods to personal care products. All you do is bring your own container and fill it up no waste and they're out there. You just have to kind of look for them. They're only a Google search away. There are also many opportunities to give away, share, recycle, fix and reuse plastic products, like Freecycleorg or BuyNothingProjectorg. I'll have a bunch of these listed for you in the references and resources page on mcminnumcom. Also participate in cleanups. Help pick up litter in your community parks, beaches, rivers and streams. Whenever Dr Cheryl and I go canoeing, we take a big bag with us, and we almost always come back with a bag full of plastic waste.

Speaker 3: 33:17

And that's a fun activity even for kids to do.

Speaker 1: 33:19

You know, they can find that to be really rewarding yeah well, like we're cruising along in the canoe and we'll see like a bottle floating over there and we'll go over and get it and put it in the bag and we come the bag's almost full when we come back.

Speaker 3: 33:29

Yeah, and that's, and you're out enjoying nature and you're able to just do that at the same time because you can create this as a lifestyle.

Speaker 3: 33:37

Individual action is good, but it's also not enough. For such a huge, urgent, looming crisis as this, though, we also need to be advocates with. We need governmental change and business changes in our communities as well, so here are some things that we can do collectively. We got to advocate for and support laws that reduce single-use plastics, improve waste management and hold producers responsible for plastic pollution. We can call and write our legislators about this issue, and we can also support and vote for people locally and state and federal levels who will be environmentally aware and responsible.

Speaker 1: 34:16

You know Coach policy matters. One study found that plastic bag bans reduce plastic bag litter by over 70%. Another study found that coordinated international action could reduce marine plastic pollution by 80% by 2040.

Speaker 3: 34:30

That's awesome and historically we have not held polluters responsible due to corporate greed and politics. But unfortunately, we are all paying for it on the back end through sickness, death and humongous health care costs, and it's only going to get worse and environmental issues as a red issue or a blue issue.

Speaker 1: 34:55

I'll vote for anybody who cares about our health and our environment, but without naming names or parties.

Speaker 1: 34:58

I just got to say that one high, high ranking figure in our administration currently stated that biogradable straws are liberal, so he made his own brand of plastic straws with his name on them and grifted about a half a million dollars off this cause, claiming that plastic forever straws stand for freedom and defiance. The same unnamed person has taken significant steps to roll back policies related to plastic pollution, which, of course, was much welcomed by the politically influential plastic industry. Oh my gosh, coach, we're in for a rough road on this issue, but we can't give up. This is just too important. We've got to keep on keeping on and try to make this a better world for our children, or else. So please support candidates red, blue or purple who care about our health, our planet and our future generations. We're supposed to have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and by golly we should have the right not to be poisoned every time we breathe air, drink water or eat food.

Speaker 3: 35:51

We also need to advocate for better labeling on products so consumers can make informed choices and fund research into alternatives, and we need to demand transparency and accountability from corporations. When a company is doing the right thing and creating biodegradable plastics or a closed-loop system, then we need to support them and use our dollars to support eco-conscious brands. A great example of that is Patagonia, which for many years has been recognized for environmental activism, ethical supply chains and using recycled and organic materials in all their apparel.

Speaker 1: 36:29

So you know, Coach, if I'm trying to buy a new jacket or something like that and there's another brand in Patagoniaotta, I'll buy pannacotta, because, once again, you need to support companies who are doing the right thing, right. Yes, Also, join and support organizations that promote sustainable environment. There are many of them out there and I encourage you to look them up. However, a couple you might be familiar with are Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy.

Speaker 3: 36:49

Collaborate with nonprofits or grassroots movements. You can find out about such organizations just by doing an Internet search for organizations that support the reduction in plastic pollution. Also, share information about plastic pollution and practical reduction tips with friends, family and your community.

Speaker 1: 37:08

Teach your children about stewardship and simple, sustainable habits. After all, they're the ones who are going to inherit this mess that we're making. Support schools integrating environmental education and write reviews or emails to companies asking them to reduce plastics.

Speaker 3: 37:21

Remember your actions are like a drop in the ocean, but if we can all get on board it becomes a tidal wave and we can make impactful changes. I'm reminded of the quote don't despise the day of small beginnings here, and that's just the idea that even the smallest action, it can ripple, spread and grow.

Speaker 1: 37:40

So, coach, let's start to wrap this up with some tips on how you can protect yourself from the harmful health effects of microplastics. Start by understanding your main sources of exposure to plastics, and these include things like bottled water, seafood, table salts, fruits, veggies, food packaging, indoor dust, textiles and clothing, air pollution, personal care products and plastic plumbing such as PVC pipes. Also, for some, it's occupational exposures. So run down this list that I just made and think about what might be affecting you and how you can make some smart changes to reduce your exposure and how you can make some smart changes to reduce your exposure.

Speaker 3: 38:13

Filter your water. Reverse osmosis removes over 99% of microplastics, while activated carbon filters remove 70 to 90%. So if you can't drink filtered water, then studies have shown that tap water is generally better than bottled water. When it comes to plastics, Never microwave food or drink in plastic containers. Heat increases the release of plastic particles. Also, avoid drinking hot beverages out of styrofoam. The ingredients in styrofoam are a form of plastic and they leach into your beverage.

Speaker 1: 38:46

Now, of course, the big one. Of course coaches avoid drinking out of plastic bottles. A couple years ago, dr Sheryl and I were down in Florida during the heat of the summer and we stopped at this gas station. And at the gas station they sold food and drink. And in order to save space, the folks who ran the store stored all of their bottled water out on the front stoop there all day, day after day, in the hot Florida sun. Well, as it turns out, both heat and sunlight caused the release of more nanoplastics from the bottle into the water. So when you drink that bottled water you never know where that bottle has been. Was it stuck on a truck on the side of the road in the hot sun, or in the sunlight on a hot summer day, like in the stoop of that Florida gas station, who knows? The bottom line is that when you drink bottled water you are drinking nanoplastics. There's no way around it, coach.

Speaker 3: 39:36

You also want to use clean cleaning products and personal care products. I always have said on the podcast and I know you have as well, dr Whitman that the Environmental Working Group is a wonderful resource. They give you all the info that you need to get non-toxic personal care products that you need and overall on the general environment. Personal care product choices have measurable impacts. A 2015 study estimated that the phase-out of microbeads in cosmetics prevented a whopping 4,594 tons of microplastics from entering the environment annually.

Speaker 1: 40:06

Wow, that's a lot of tons. Well, kosha, now let me be clear. We're not advocating for going back to a pre-plastic world. That's just not going to happen. It's impossible. The cat is out of the bag, the dye is cast and we have crossed the Rubicon on that issue. Also, plastics have enabled tremendous advances in medicine, technology and quality of life, but instead it's about using them more wisely, eliminating unnecessary applications, developing safer alternatives and managing the plastic waste responsibly.

Speaker 3: 40:32

And we've got to be honest about what we don't know. While the evidence is solid that microplastics pose serious health risks, there are still significant research gaps. But here's the thing we can't wait for perfect information before we act.

Speaker 1: 40:46

There is no doubt. The evidence that we have so far is clear and compelling and, to summarize, we've been cranking out staggering amounts of synthetic plastics now for 100 years, with very little concern for what happens to these harmful products on the back end. Detection rates in human samples now approach 100%, with profound effects on our health, the health of future generations and the health of our planet and overall cost to our society.

Speaker 3: 41:10

So our message to you today is clear Microplastics represent a planetary health emergency that requires immediate and comprehensive action, and the window for that action, though it's narrowing, plastic production is set to triple by 2050. Every year we delay comprehensive action, the problem becomes exponentially harder to solve and the health impacts become more severe. Once those plastics are out into our environment, in our food chain and in our bodies, it's too late.

Speaker 1: 41:42

You can't take them back, Coach, and you know. The evidence shows that interventions do work. That's the good news. Some countries are implementing extended producer responsibility laws making plastic manufacturers responsible for the entire life cycle of their products, including cleanup. However, for better or for worse, toxins from one country affect all countries, so this needs to be a worldwide effort. All of us are working together.

Speaker 3: 42:05

Fortunately, public awareness is growing around this issue, with more pressure for change. Young people, especially, are driving demand for sustainable alternatives for change. Young people, especially, are driving demand for sustainable alternatives. So my children and future generations will judge us by how we respond to this today. This is how we respond to this crisis. Someday, I hope that my kids will say thanks, mom, for being an agent of change and saving me from those terrible health problems from toxins. Or would they say, mom, why didn't you do more? Or why did you not? Why were you quiet about this issue? We have the knowledge, the technology and the economic incentives to solve this problem. So what we need now is the individual and collective will to act.

Speaker 1: 42:48

You know, coach, this actually starts to get personal, because I mean, people need to understand that these poisons are only released because we, as consumers, send our dollar demands to industries that make things cheaply as possible. This takes no account of the damage to human life and health. We all end up paying for chemical toxicity one way or the other. It's a simple choice you pay at the supermarket, you pay at the doctor's office, you pay at the hospital or you pay at the hospice. If this episode changed how you think about plastics, then please share it with others. Science only matters if it leads to action, and action starts with awareness. We need to build a tribe of people who care about our health and the future of life on this beloved Mother Earth that we live on, which has been so good to us. However, right now, coach, I gotta say Mother Earth has suffered some domestic abuse from us and she is shedding some tears.

Speaker 3: 43:36

That about does it for our discussion of microplastics? I hope that we were able to share something that informed and inspired you.

Speaker 1: 43:44

Thank you so much for listening and please do take a moment to rate us on iTunes. These reviews really do make a difference for us. Also, if you like the podcast, then please take a moment today to let a friend know about it and to help us spread the word on this evidence-based, holistic, functional and integrated medicine. If you'd like to reach out to me to comment on the show or to make recommendations for future topics, you may do so at drmcminn at yahoocom.

Speaker 3: 44:07

Until next time, stay curious, stay informed and remember small actions can lead to big changes.

Speaker 1: 44:15

This is Dr McMinn signing out.

Speaker 3: 44:17

And this is Coach Lindsay.

Speaker 1: 44:19

Take care and be well.