What’s in your water,
dinner, air, body?

A glass of tap water

0–61 particles · median 5.5

A bottle of bottled water

325 particles/L · up to 240,000 with nanoplastics

Water boiled in a plastic kettle

~5,000–7,000 particles per litre

Rainwater

~25–660 particles per litre

A plastic tea bag steeped in hot water

~11.6 billion microplastics + 3.1 billion nanoplastics

A disposable paper cup with hot drink

~25,000 particles per 100 mL · ~5 ng leached chemicals

Formula in a plastic baby bottle

1.3–16.2 million particles/L

Food microwaved in a plastic container

~4.22 million microplastics + 2.11 billion nanoplastics

Chopping on a plastic cutting board

~7.4 g of microplastics shed per person per year

Table or sea salt

0–1,674 particles/kg · sea salt highest

Mussels (250 g portion)

~70–100 particles

A pint of beer

~2–79 particles

Honey

~32–166 fibres + ~9–245 fragments per kg

Sugar

~217 fragments + 32 fibres per kg

A bowl of rice

~3–4 mg microplastics per 100 g uncooked

A serving of fruit or vegetables

~52,000–233,000 particles/g (sub-10 μm)

A piece of chewing gum

~100–600 particles released into saliva

A glass of wine

~10–100 particles · higher in plastic-corked bottles

Canned tuna or sardines

1–4 particles per can · varies by brand

Energy & soft drinks

~14–112 particles per litre

Ice cream

~52 particles per 100 g (4–253 range)

A glass of milk

~3–11 particles per litre

Shrimp or prawns

~40–80 particles per 100 g

Chicken or processed meat

~30–60 particles per kg

Royal jelly or propolis

~5–40 particles per gram

Tomatoes grown in plastic-mulched soil

~12–47 particles per fruit

Soft cheese or yogurt

~14–22 particles per 100 g

Takeaway food in plastic container

~100–500 particles per meal

Freshwater fish

~1.5–8 particles per fish

One load of synthetic laundry

~700,000 fibres released to water + air

Total annual intake (food + water + air)

39,000–52,000/year · +90,000 if bottled water only

Using a kitchen sponge

~6.5 million fibres released per sponge over its lifetime

Tumble drying synthetic clothes

~1.6 million fibres released per kg dried

Leave-on cosmetics (moisturiser, makeup)

~10–100 mg of synthetic polymers per use

Deep-sea sediment hotspots

Up to 1.9 million particles per m² of seafloor

Arctic snow

Up to 14,400 particles per litre of melted snow

Mount Everest summit snow

12 fibres per litre at 8,440 m

Holding a thermal-paper receipt

~150 ng BPA + plastic particles transferred per receipt

Shower gel or body wash

~100,000+ particles down the drain per shower (if microbeads present)

Artificial-turf playing field

~1.5–2.5 tonnes of rubber crumb shed annually

Wearing a disposable face mask

~9,000 microfibres inhaled per mask per day

Indoor air & house dust

1.7–16 fibres/m³ · ~5,800 particles inhaled/day

Outdoor city air

~100–700 particles inhaled per day

Living with synthetic carpet / upholstery

~5,800–9,000 fibres added to your indoor load

Living near a major road (tyre-wear)

~6 million tonnes of tyre microplastics shed globally per year

Air in a polluted city (Shanghai, Paris)

~1,000–5,000 particles inhaled per day

Microplastics found in human blood

Detected in 17 of 22 donors · mean 1.6 µg/mL

Microplastics found in human lungs

Detected in 11 of 13 lungs · 0.07 particles/g

Microplastics found in the human placenta

5–12 particles · 4 of 6 placentas

Microplastics found in human breast milk

Detected in 26 of 34 samples

Microplastics found in arterial plaque

Detected in 58.4% of patients · linked to 4.5× cardiovascular event risk

Microplastics found in human stool

~20 particles/10 g · 8 of 8 participants

Microplastics found in human testicles

329 µg/g in testes · also in semen

Microplastics found in the human brain

~4,800 µg/g in brain tissue · 7–30× higher than liver/kidney

Microplastics found in human semen

Detected in 100% of samples tested

Microplastics found in human liver

~4–6 particles per gram of cirrhotic liver