Thank you for this balanced and thoughtful take on this topic. Great background science and practical advice. Appreciate the conversation about broader implications when we change our habits- the impact of more energy use for other things being put in this equation. It’s not just the chemicals themselves but if we don’t use those, what else will be used/abused? Balancing the pros/cons of each item or the alternate product. This is such a good way to think for so many things- diet choices, food chemicals, medicine options. These broader impact considerations are often not thought about. Thank you!
I would like to wean my family from wearing plastic clothing from trendy places like Lululemon and Athleta. The amount of synthetic fibers released during washing, drying, and wear has got to be a prime source of inhaled and ingested microplastic fibers in our homes and workplaces, no?
Cotton, linen, and sometimes splurging on wool, cashmere, alpaca, and silk suits is my "eco-conscious dad style." Often goes over as well as jokes.
You have given me a great idea - I will henceforth give my two sons clothes made only with “eco-conscious dad style “ fibers for birthdays and Xmas. Then I will persistently and quietly keep noting this fact to my grandsons who are now 6 . By the time the grands are 10 it will be good for many jokes !
I genuinely wish these types of science based, educational articles were more mainstream. The alarmist mindsets aren't only leading us to consumer based choices that might not have the impact we hope for, but this has a significant impact on people's mental health. Environmental guilt is real, and we could address a lot of that with really great, unbiased science!!
The 'all plastics are poison' narrative is a great example of how risk communication fails people — it collapses a spectrum of exposures and mechanisms into a single panic signal. The research on microplastics is genuinely early and noisy; the research on BPA and some phthalates is much stronger. Treating them the same leads to bad decisions in both directions. Really appreciate pieces that actually parse the evidence instead of just validating the fear.
Thanks for explaining the science behind microplastics and how they behave in the environment. What about the fact that plastics are made from fossil fuels? I would think this would be of bigger concern, as the use of fossil fuels is a huge contributor to climate change.
I was feeling guilty while using a value-pack of detergent pods that I bought from Costco in lieu of ordering concentrated powder from Amazon (because I think Amazon is mostly evil). I'm trying! I felt so relieved to know that trying is the best we can do.
Everything in this article sounds perfectly reasonable, and I'll be the first to admit it's outside my direct area of expertise. That said, it does seem a bit different to have UBSP addressing the microplastics topic thru an author who's worked mostly for cosmetics companies and whose area of study seems to be primarily relating to cosmetics -- not microplastics at all. Likewise, seems like a bit of a mismatch for the topic at hand, given there are academics out there who do actually specialize in the study of microplastics. Not to mention the article being credited in part to the "American Cleaning Institute"??? I guess that's why the focus on laundry pods becomes a major focus, more than the broader issues and implications of actual microplastics. Feeling a bit disappointed here...
Microplastics and polymers are a very important areas of research in the cosmetics industry as well and understanding regulations, polymer chemistry, test methodology, etc are all important aspects of my work. So I hope that my writing in this article in helping to clarify some of those aspects is useful.
Exactly! We discuss that in this article and in our upcoming podcast episode with one of the CRIS scientists at Michigan State, as well as a few infographics.
Thank you for this balanced and thoughtful take on this topic. Great background science and practical advice. Appreciate the conversation about broader implications when we change our habits- the impact of more energy use for other things being put in this equation. It’s not just the chemicals themselves but if we don’t use those, what else will be used/abused? Balancing the pros/cons of each item or the alternate product. This is such a good way to think for so many things- diet choices, food chemicals, medicine options. These broader impact considerations are often not thought about. Thank you!
Very helpful, thank you!
I would like to wean my family from wearing plastic clothing from trendy places like Lululemon and Athleta. The amount of synthetic fibers released during washing, drying, and wear has got to be a prime source of inhaled and ingested microplastic fibers in our homes and workplaces, no?
Cotton, linen, and sometimes splurging on wool, cashmere, alpaca, and silk suits is my "eco-conscious dad style." Often goes over as well as jokes.
You have given me a great idea - I will henceforth give my two sons clothes made only with “eco-conscious dad style “ fibers for birthdays and Xmas. Then I will persistently and quietly keep noting this fact to my grandsons who are now 6 . By the time the grands are 10 it will be good for many jokes !
Wow I've learned 2 cool things from this today:
- the definition of biodegradable and that something can be biodegradable even if it's a plastic or synthetic
- that wastewater treatment involves using bacteria to break down carbon based stuff
Very cool, thanks!
Fantastic read! More of this please!
I genuinely wish these types of science based, educational articles were more mainstream. The alarmist mindsets aren't only leading us to consumer based choices that might not have the impact we hope for, but this has a significant impact on people's mental health. Environmental guilt is real, and we could address a lot of that with really great, unbiased science!!
This article should be cited by all public health people as a top notch way to communicate scientific and usable knowledge.
Wow, I just had this conversation with a friend a month ago about this very issue. This article is a very timely and practical review. Thank you
The 'all plastics are poison' narrative is a great example of how risk communication fails people — it collapses a spectrum of exposures and mechanisms into a single panic signal. The research on microplastics is genuinely early and noisy; the research on BPA and some phthalates is much stronger. Treating them the same leads to bad decisions in both directions. Really appreciate pieces that actually parse the evidence instead of just validating the fear.
Thanks for explaining the science behind microplastics and how they behave in the environment. What about the fact that plastics are made from fossil fuels? I would think this would be of bigger concern, as the use of fossil fuels is a huge contributor to climate change.
Wow Thank you for this article-simple enough for us lay folks to wrap our brains around
I was feeling guilty while using a value-pack of detergent pods that I bought from Costco in lieu of ordering concentrated powder from Amazon (because I think Amazon is mostly evil). I'm trying! I felt so relieved to know that trying is the best we can do.
Which is the reason I am happy to be a subscriber to Nerdy Girls.
Everything in this article sounds perfectly reasonable, and I'll be the first to admit it's outside my direct area of expertise. That said, it does seem a bit different to have UBSP addressing the microplastics topic thru an author who's worked mostly for cosmetics companies and whose area of study seems to be primarily relating to cosmetics -- not microplastics at all. Likewise, seems like a bit of a mismatch for the topic at hand, given there are academics out there who do actually specialize in the study of microplastics. Not to mention the article being credited in part to the "American Cleaning Institute"??? I guess that's why the focus on laundry pods becomes a major focus, more than the broader issues and implications of actual microplastics. Feeling a bit disappointed here...
https://www.acs.org/careers/chemical-sciences/profiles/kelly-dobos.html
Microplastics and polymers are a very important areas of research in the cosmetics industry as well and understanding regulations, polymer chemistry, test methodology, etc are all important aspects of my work. So I hope that my writing in this article in helping to clarify some of those aspects is useful.
What about plastic additives used to give plastics specific properties?
What are your thoughts on the Netflix documentary "The Plastic Detox"?
Exactly! We discuss that in this article and in our upcoming podcast episode with one of the CRIS scientists at Michigan State, as well as a few infographics.