GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.s — A growing amount of research suggests small particles, known as microplastics, are seeped into our everyday food, water and air.
We are likely consuming tiny pieces of plastic every day without knowing it. A new study finds the average person could be swallowing about five grams of plastic every week. That's equal to a credit card's worth.
These particles can make their way into our drinking water, food and even the air we breathe and it adds up over time. Every six months, we ingest enough plastic flakes to fill a cereal bowl and in our lifetime, we take in more plastic than the size of two large recycling bins combined. However, researchers are still trying to determine the long-term health effects of ingesting plastic. While it's too soon to know how this may impact our health, scientists say one thing is certain... global plastic production has gone too far. Since 1950, humans have created more than eight billion tons of plastic. Only about nine percent of it has been recycled.
If you want to reduce your plastic exposure, experts recommend drinking tap water instead of bottled water, avoiding plastic containers and eating more fresh food.
