We spend a fortune on organic food while at the same time voluntarily wrapping our bodies in synthetic fibres. We choose polyester because it is cheap and needs no ironing, but in doing so we give our skin a plastic microclimate that stays in contact with it around the clock. The problem does not end with how comfortable it feels.
As we walk and as we launder them, synthetic fabrics constantly release microfibres. These particles reach the air, water and soil, and from there the food chain and our own bodies. Microplastic has stopped being a problem “out there” in the ocean; today it is detected in human blood and tissues. The future of our health now depends to a large extent on what we surround ourselves with every day.
This article expands on our Longevity Alphabet series, in which we define the most important concepts in longevity medicine. Discover what our Speaker says about plastic. Watch the video, and follow Elevate on Instagram for more content like this:
Where Do Microplastics Come From?
One of the main sources of microplastics in the environment is clothing. Studies have shown that polyester garments release microfibres not only during washing (into water) but also during everyday wear (into the air). Every fashionable synthetic blouse or dress is shedding plastic particles essentially all the time.
The Longevity Alphabet: Q10, the Cellular “Current” That Declines with Age, and What We Really Know About Coenzyme Q10
Read moreThe phenomenon is driven by the fast fashion model. We buy cheap synthetic clothes on impulse and throw them out after a few wears, generating millions of tonnes of waste that break down into micro- and nanoparticles over decades. As a result plastic has become an integral part of the biosphere: it permeates soil, water and air, and from there the tissues of plants and animals. From the point of view of biology and longevity medicine, this is a key element of the exposome – the sum of environmental factors that modulate the expression of our genes throughout life, burden our repair mechanisms and accelerate the pace of aging.
How Microplastics Enter the Body
Plastics enter the body by several routes at once: we inhale them with dust and air, we swallow them with water and food, and to some extent we absorb them through a damaged skin barrier. For years it was assumed that these particles passed through the digestive system inertly. Recent years, however, have brought hard evidence that plastic can cross natural biological barriers:
Presence in the bloodstream: In 2022 the presence of synthetic polymers in samples of human blood was confirmed for the first time, proving that they circulate throughout the body.
Crossing tissue barriers: Micro- and nanoplastic particles have been identified in lung tissue, in the kidneys and liver, and also in the human placenta, which means exposure begins in fetal life.
Today no one questions any longer that we have plastic in our bodies. The important question that remains is what exactly follows from it.
The Health Impact of Plastic – Is There Reason to Panic?
Headlines about a global microplastic crisis slide easily into sensationalism. To keep legitimate concern from turning into panic, it is worth knowing what the latest research actually covers. On the one hand, there are worrying signals. A widely discussed 2024 study found that people in whose carotid artery plaque micro- and nanoplastics were detected had a clearly higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death than people without such particles. Microplastics are today linked, among other things, to intensified inflammation and oxidative stress in tissues.
The Longevity Alphabet: Inflammaging, the Silent Inflammation That Accelerates Aging Over Time
Read moreOn the other hand, most analyses show only associations (correlations), not direct evidence that microplastics themselves cause illness. Rigorous scientific reviews stress that the evidence for microplastics harming humans is only now accumulating.
Why Do We Not Know Everything Yet?
The science of the health effects of microplastics is still young and full of gaps. Hard causal evidence is difficult to obtain here, because you cannot ethically “administer” plastic to people in a controlled experiment, and exposure is universal, so there is no genuinely “unexposed” group. We also do not understand the dose–response relationship well: it is not known what level of exposure is actually dangerous.
In preventive and environmental medicine, however, the precautionary principle applies: the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in human blood, placentas and blood vessels, combined with evidence that they trigger oxidative stress and chronic low-grade inflammation, is reason enough to take the matter seriously. Rather than waiting for catastrophic scenarios or ignoring the first warning signs, the most sensible course is to act preventively.
Limiting Plastic in Everyday Life
Less plastic in the wardrobe is a relief not only for the planet but directly for our bodies. Synthetic materials act on the skin like an airtight compress: they trap sweat and heat, creating a stuffy, unpleasant microclimate. Blocked thermoregulation quickly shows in the condition of the skin – it weakens its natural protective barrier, encourages irritation and makes it easier for chemical dyes and finishing agents from clothing to penetrate.
Reducing contact with synthetic particles and easing the load on the body does not require turning your life upside down. A few simple changes are enough:
- Choose natural fabrics: Reach for linen, wool, hemp, silk and organic cotton – they let the skin breathe freely and do not pollute the ecosystem.
- Change how you care for clothes: Fill the washing machine drum completely (less friction between fabrics means drastically lower microfibre emissions), wash at lower temperatures and avoid aggressive spin cycles.
- Cut back on fast fashion: Quality second-hand clothing is a far better choice – the safest garment for the environment is one that already exists.
- Eliminate plastic in contact with heat: Absolutely avoid heating food in plastic containers (high temperatures speed up the migration of chemical particles into food), filter tap water and air your home regularly, removing the dust in which microfibres from your surroundings accumulate.
Conclusions
Microplastics reach the environment and our bodies to a very large extent from fast fashion clothing. Although science is still investigating the direct health effects, the accumulation of plastic in tissues is reason enough for caution. Instead of panic, the best answer is everyday pragmatic choices: natural fabrics in the wardrobe, less plastic in the kitchen, and reaching for second-hand clothes.
Sources
1. De Falco F, Cocca M, Avella M, Thompson RC. Microfiber Release to Water, Via Laundering, and to Air, via Everyday Use: A Comparison between Polyester Clothing with Differing Textile Parameters: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b06892
2. Leslie HA, van Velzen MJM, Brandsma SH, et al. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
3. Ragusa A, Svelato A, Santacroce C, et al. Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106274
4. Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C, et al. Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
5. Vethaak AD, Legler J. Microplastics and human health: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5041
