Meet Dr. Shanna Swan, one of the world’s leading reproductive epidemiologists and a longtime researcher of environmental chemicals and reproductive health.

For more than three decades, Swan has studied how endocrine-disrupting chemicals can affect hormones, fertility and human development. Her research has helped draw global attention to declining sperm counts and raised broader questions about how everyday  exposure to chemicals in our food, homes and environment may be affecting human health.

In a new conversation with EARTHDAY.ORG, Swan joins Jillian Semaan, Global Director of Food and Environment, to discuss the connections between plastics, food and fertility — and why those links may matter far beyond the laboratory.

The interview takes a closer look at the many ways people can come into contact with chemicals during an ordinary day. Swan discusses chemicals found in plastic, personal care and household products, food packaging, cookware and other common consumer goods.. She also explains why scientists are paying close attention to certain chemicals commonly found in consumer products and what researchers are still trying to understand about their effects on reproductive health.

But the conversation is not only about alarming statistics.

Swan also talks about practical steps people can take to reduce exposure in their everyday lives. From reconsidering t food storage and cookware to paying closer attention to household products and other common sources of exposure, the interview offers a more practical ways to limit exposure and make more informed choices. 

At the same time, Swan makes clear that individuals should not carry the full burden of protecting themselves. The conversation also explores the role of manufacturers, governments and chemical regulation — and what it means to decide whether a product is truly safe before it becomes part of everyday life.

From reproductive health e to the choices families make in the kitchen, Swan’s conversation with EARTHDAY.ORG highlights the connection between human health and environmental health — and why reducing harmful chemical exposures  matters for both people today and future generations.

Watch the full episode on Saturday, August 22nd. RSVP to receive a link to view the stream.

The post Everyday Chemical Exposures Put Us All at Risk appeared first on Earth Day.

As we head into the holiday season and all the over consumption that can trigger in some parts of the world, it’s important to recognize that our buying habits directly feed the plastic pollution crisis.  Because practically every new product carries a plastic footprint through its plastic packaging, production, and shipping. By choosing to buy less, or skip impulse purchases altogether, we can reduce the amount of plastic entering our environment and even our own bodies.

That is because so much of the food we eat has come into contact with plastics, from plastic-coated fertilizers and mulches used in farming, to the packaging around your sandwich or the plastic lining in canned foods. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2019, the global food system relied on over 12.5 million tonnes of plastic in agricultural production alone and another 37.3 million tonnes in food packaging – that’s the same as encasing the Earth’s equator in plastic wrap over 112,000 times! 

The modern food industry relies on plastic at every stage.  The issue is that all plastics, be it in the food industry or any other industry, in the end breaks down, shedding microplastics which are about the size of a grain of rice or smaller.

Tiny Plastics Particles Are a Problem

As a result these microplastics are now found everywhere: in our oceans, rivers, soil, the air we breathe, and yes, in the food we eat! 

Here’s how – plastic can be ingested by animals, eventually entering the human food chain via seafood, livestock, and crops. Research has shown that marine organisms, such as shrimp and fish for example, ingest microplastics from the ocean. In fact a study in 2024, by the Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto, found microplastics in nearly nine out of ten protein samples. This included animal proteins, such as beef, pork, seafood, chicken, as well as plant-based options. It’s not just protein, studies have found leafy and root vegetables absorb microplastics from contaminated soil and water too. 

Microplastics can enter our bodies when we consume contaminated foods. Researchers estimate that adults in the United States may ingest nearly 4 million microplastic particles per year from protein sources alone.  Highly processed foods tend to contain more microplastics than raw or minimally processed items, making diet choice an important factor in exposure.

These microplastics  can leach a cocktail of toxi plastic chemicals into our bodies. While scientists are still studying the long-term health effects of this plastic exposure, these toxic substances are linked to a large range of human health issues, from Alzheimer’s, infertility, some cancers. How did we end up in this plastic mess?

Farming and Plastics

Plastic has silently invaded the global food system. Beginning on our farms, from plastic wraps over mulch and fodder to polytunnels, irrigation tubes, and microplastic coated fertilizers and seeds, it touches nearly every stage of crop production. Plastic mulching alone accounted for almost 40% of the global agriplastic market between 2013 and 2019. These plastics don’t just linger in the soil—they break down into microplastics that can leach harmful chemicals into the food we eat, quietly affecting human health and the environment long before the products reach our plates.

These materials promise benefits, such as reduced weed pressure, improved moisture retention, cost-effectiveness, and pest protection.Yet they come with hidden costs: As of 2016, 40-50% of the plastic used in farming processes has soil and plant debris on it meaning that it is rarely recycled. And instead is likely burned, buried or landfilled. Additionally, plastic film breaks down into microplastics that contaminate the soil, which end up in our food.

While there may be gaps in our knowledge on just how much plastic is in our soil,  U.S farms that use plastic sheets for mulching have 75% higher microplastic concentration in their soil than farms who don’t use these plastic sheets. So, even if the food these farms sell isn’t wrapped in plastic at the store, it might still contain plastic due to how it was produced. 

Processing, Packaging, and Distribution

But plastics don’t stop at the farm. During processing and packaging, food can absorb microplastics from equipment. 

Once packaged, single-use plastics dominate the global food system, enabling long-distance transport and extended shelf life. Which is why in 2016, roughly 50% of all fossil fuel–based plastics were used for food packaging alone. The same properties that make these plastics so useful, durability, flexibility, and moisture resistance, also make them non-biodegradable, and contribute to the growing plastic pollution crisis.

Plastic additives chemicals like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) are all used to make food packaging. Phthalates are commonly found in soft plastics and cling wraps, BPA in hard plastics and food can linings, and PFAs in non-stick coatings, greaseproof paper, and waterproof packaging. 

Storing our food in this packaging can cause yet more plastic to leach into our meals.   Especially under heat, light, or prolonged storage, plastic chemicals from packaging can leach into the food we eat. Many of these chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors and have been linked to adverse health issues, such as infertility, obesity, and development issues. In effect, the very chemicals designed to preserve and protect our food may quietly be harming our health.

More plastic in the form of stretch and bubble wrap, liners, and insulation are then used to secure and refrigerate food shipments and studies have found that microplastics from these materials can travel in the air, entering food packaging environments, long before they even reach consumers. So, not only are these plastic pallets, wraps, and containers thrown away after each shipment, adding to the global waste problem, but they are also putting workers in the food industry at risk.

Plus, only 13.6% of all of the plastic packaging generated in 2018 was recycled.Then the vast majority end up in landfill where it breaks down into microplastics and contaminates the soil all over again. 

Solutions: Rethinking Food Systems Beyond Plastic

Addressing plastic pollution in the food industry requires serious action at every stage.

Introducing innovative, sustainable replacements like bioplastics and compostable materials into the modern food system could boost the recycling rates of food packaging by 22% to 64%, depending on the scenario. 

Farmers must phase out plastic mulches and coated fertilizers by switching to safer materials and ingredients. In distribution, reusable pallets and insulated containers can help reduce microplastics from entering the environment. 

There are also plenty of alternatives to plastic packaging and household food containers, such as compostable packaging, silicone kitchen utensils, glass containers, beeswax wraps, and even zero waste grocery stores. 

EARTHDAY.ORG is calling for a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040, and you can help: find a cleanup near you on our Great Global Cleanup Map, sign our Global Plastic Treaty Petition against plastic pollution, and always choose reusable and sustainable alternatives when you shop.  Next time you unwrap a plastic-packaged snack or bite a packet of plastic wrapped chicken, remember the long, plastic-filled journey this food took before it got to you and maybe find healthier alternatives!

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Unwrapping the Hidden Role of Plastic in Our Food System appeared first on Earth Day.

Our modern world is littered with more than visible environmental damage but also with silent, invisible killers: microplastics. These particles, ranging in size from 5 millimeters to 1 nanometer,come from countless forms of human manufacturing–either placed intentionally in products or broken down over time–spreading into everything and everyone. They’re in our drinking water, air, food, and bodies.

Through weathering, digestion, and mechanical breakdown, they become almost undetectable, yet remain harmful to our health and the wellbeing of our ecosystems. While microplastics are undeniably dangerous, they also show up in bizarre, shocking, even borderline comical places. Here are five microplastic factual phenomena to bewilder you.

1) Mount Everest Is Not Above Plastic

Microplastics that have been discovered on Everest’s peak represent the highest elevation that plastic has ever been found. A 2020 study revealed that particles in snow samples from just below Everest’s peak held concentrations with up to 12 microplastics per liter.

A place like Mount Everest is considered to be a remote, untouchable, glacial heaven — hard to reach and should be even harder to pollute. But the fact that plastics are embedded in its snow reveals how far-reaching and persistent our pollution is. At 27,700 feet, even the sacred Himalayas are now safe  with microplastics.

2) Brushing Up — On Pollution 

Toothpaste includes many additives to enhance its visual appeal, but one of the most shocking ingredients is polyethylene, a common plastic chemical. They make up those decorative blue particles found inside some tubes which are partly made of calculated plastic material. These “cutesy” strips consist of enough calculated plastic material to turn a head or a hundred. We are choosing some pizazz in our toothpaste over our health.

You’d hope that a product for gum and tooth health would use only natural components, but wellness isn’t the only goal in the toothpaste industry. Toothpaste brands release 0.199 billion microbeads per year with polyethylene as a component in pursuit of a more appealing look. Microplastics definitely do not aid dental hygiene as much as we are led to believe. 

3) Bugs and The Plastic They Lug!

While the breaking down of plastics seems like a process that would not be harmful, it is even more abnormal that certain insects can even digest microplastics at all. Superworms, Waxworms, Rice Moths and other plastivore insects can break down plastics through a process called biofragmentation. 

The process begins in the guts of microorganisms , cleaving plastic polymers into smaller units. But these plastics don’t vanish, they’re excreted into smaller microplastics that pose even greater environmental risks. Once the insects die, they leave behind even finer fragments that continue to pollute the planet. What we would hope was their  “superpower” only helps plastic go deeper into the ecosystem.

4) Microplastics Live… Before Life

Yes, microplastics can be traced within almost everything, but there are some regions of the world where the presence of artificial materials feels increasingly eerie. One of these ominous identifications of plastic is the unborn human placenta. 

The placenta is an organ that grows during pregnancy in order to provide support to the developing fetus. By definition, the placenta removes waste products while supplying oxygen and nutrients. That is why it is completely terrifying that man-made polymers can be found in a human appendage designed to eliminate malevolence and impurity. 

It is a tissue defined by rebirth and new beginnings — and before the child is born it is propagated with stained polypropylene and other man-made coatings like paint and other harmful chemicals. These substances that do not belong in humans, let alone the exalted process of pregnancy. 

5) Our Genes Are Microplastic Schemes 

We know microplastics are inside us, but the fact that they can change who we are is rarely discussed. When they’re small enough, they can enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system and cause cellular toxicity, damage, stress, and death, disrupting normal cell function.

Additionally, microplastics interfere with DNA binding, especially during fertilization. Polyethylene particles in the bloodstream can trigger chromosomal aberrations, leading to genetic disorders. These microscopic invaders aren’t just pollution, they’re roadblocks to human development. 

Microplastics can even deteriorate our DNA by causing “clastogenesis and aneugenesis at the chromosome level.” They may shape not only what our world looks like, but what you look like, what you care about, and what you’re made of. 

Microplastic are silently invading our planet, our bodies, and our thoughts. Join EARTHDAY.ORG’s movement to reduce plastic pollution by signing the Global Plastic Treaty petition , demanding  governments drastically reduce plastic production. Choose plastic-free or reduced-plastic products whenever possible, and support local clean-up efforts through the Great Global Cleanup.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post 5 Bizarre Microplastics Facts  appeared first on Earth Day.