Microplastics are everywhere — in our water, food and even the air we breathe. And now, research is finding them in our bodies, raising concerns about their impact on our health.
But should you be worried? And could they cause cancer? To get answers, we turned to Andrew Salner, MD, the medical director at HartfordHealthCare Cancer Institute. Here’s what he had to say.
Microplastics are exactly like they sound.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles — often smaller than a grain of rice — everywhere in our environment. They come from two primary sources:
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- Tiny plastic beads made intentionally for products like cosmetics (primary microplastics).
- Larger plastics that break down over time from sources such as tires, paint and textiles (secondary microplastics).
“These microplastics can make their way into our bodies through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and even through skin absorption,” says Dr. Salner.
