The Science of Plastic
What the research actually says about microplastics, plastic leaching, and where they end up in the body.
Articles in The Science of Plastic
The Science of Plastic
How Many Microplastics Are in Bottled Water? A New Count
A 2026 study counted up to 12,080 microplastic particles per liter of bottled water and showed they can slip inside human cells. Here is what the numbers mean.
The Science of Plastic
What 240,000 Microplastics Per Liter Actually Means For Your Body
The bottled-water stat gets quoted constantly. Here's where those particles actually go once you swallow them, and what's still genuinely unknown.
The Science of Plastic
How Many Microplastics Are in Bottled Water? What the Data Shows
Bottled water drinkers may ingest up to 90,000 more microplastic particles a year than tap drinkers. Here's what a 2025 review of 141 studies actually found.
The Science of Plastic
Bottled Water Has More Microplastics Than Tap — But How Much?
A 2024 study measured microplastics in Spain's top-selling bottled water. The dose is tiny, but two to three orders of magnitude higher than tap water.
The Science of Plastic
Can a Laser Spot Microplastics in Water in Real Time?
Lab methods can't test in the field. This sensor concept uses three laser-diode lines to screen microplastics in water—here's how it works, and its limits.
The Science of Plastic
How Reliable Is the Data on Microplastics in Drinking Water?
A WHO-led review scored 50 studies on microplastics in water. Only four passed every quality check — which is why exposure claims deserve caution.
The Science of Plastic
How Much Microplastic Is in Bottled Water? What One Study Found
A 2018 study tested 259 bottles across 11 brands and nine countries. 93% showed microplastic contamination — and the packaging itself appears to be a source.
The Science of Plastic
Nanoplastics in Bottled Water: What One Liter Actually Holds
A 2024 PNAS study counted about 240,000 plastic particles per liter of bottled water — and roughly 90% were nanoplastics too small for older methods to see.
The Science of Plastic
Plastic Particle Size Shapes Cell Damage in Fish Cell Lines
A 2026 study found plastic particles didn't kill fish cells outright, but 0.2 and 1 μm spheres slipped inside, triggering inflammation and oxidative stress.
The Science of Plastic
What Microplastics Do Inside the Human Body: The Cell Evidence
A 2024 review tracked microplastics from bottled water and food into human blood, placenta, and organoids—and found harm at everyday exposure levels.
The Science of Plastic
Do Flame Retardants Reach You Through Your Skin?
Brominated flame retardants aren't only ingested. Research shows skin contact with treated fabrics is a real, measurable exposure pathway worth understanding.
The Science of Plastic
Flavoured Water Had the Most Microplastics in This Study
A 2026 study tested bottled and tap water for microplastics. Flavoured water ranked highest, mineral water lowest, and children faced 3.6x the adult exposure.
The Science of Plastic
When Microplastics Carry Cadmium: A Freshwater Crab Study
A 2026 study found microplastics and cadmium together stress freshwater crabs more than either alone — and that plastic type dictates which organ takes the hit.
The Science of Plastic
Microplastics in Tap Water: What a 2026 Review Found
A systematic review found microplastics in tap water in every study examined. Here's what the evidence reveals about exposure, who's most at risk, and its limits.
The Science of Plastic
Microplastics Cross the Placenta: What a 2026 Mouse Study Found
A new mouse study found polystyrene microplastics passed from mother to offspring via blood, disrupting blood cells and triggering oxidative stress in both.
The Science of Plastic
Hot Cars and Bottled Water: How Storage Multiplies Plastic Release
Heat and shaking can boost nanoplastic release from PET water bottles more than nine-fold. How you store bottled water may matter as much as what's in it.
The Science of Plastic
Is Teflon Really Inert? What PTFE Particles Do to Gut Cells
New lab research shows PTFE (Teflon) micro- and nanoplastics enter human gut cells, triggering oxidative stress, mitochondrial harm, and DNA damage.
The Science of Plastic
When Sunlight Makes Plastic More Toxic: A Mussel Study
New research on the marine mussel Mytilus trossulus shows that UV-aged acrylic plastic (PMMA) damages cells and DNA more than fresh plastic. Here's what that means.
The Science of Plastic
Microplastics in Bottled and Tap Water: What We Can't Yet Measure
A CDC-authored review of 105 studies found microplastics everywhere in drinking water — and found something more unsettling: we still can't reliably measure them.
The Science of Plastic
What's in Rural Tap Water? 913 Microplastics a Year, One Study Finds
A 2025 study of 15 rural regions in Southwest China traced microplastics from source to tap — and found the pipes themselves can add plastic back to your glass.
The Science of Plastic
Microplastics in Soft Drinks and Ice Packs: What One Study Found
A 2025 study found roughly 183 microplastic particles per liter in carbonated soft drinks and 179 in ice packs. Here's what that means and where they come from.
The Science of Plastic
What a Systematic Review Says About Microplastics and Your Health
A 2024 systematic review graded the evidence and reached a cautious verdict: microplastics are 'suspected' to harm reproductive, digestive, and respiratory health.