Microplastics & Health: A Systematic Review of Recent Science
March 11, 2025 @ 10:00am (AKDT)
Microplastics are widespread environmental contaminants found in our food, water, and air. They have also been detected throughout the human body, including in our blood, lungs, saliva, liver, semen, placenta, and breastmilk.
As exposure becomes unavoidable, there are rising concerns about how microplastics may be impacting human health. Although the research is still emerging, a growing body of evidence links microplastic exposure to adverse health effects.
A recently published review from UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment evaluated over 3,000 studies, finding that exposure to microplastics is suspected to pose a hazard to human digestive, reproductive, and respiratory systems. The review calls for the implementation of policies to reduce microplastics in the environment, including banning intentionally added microplastics and phasing out unnecessary and avoidable plastic use.
Join us on Tuesday, March 11, at 10:00 am (AKT) for a CHE-Alaska webinar featuring study authors Abena BakenRa and Dr. Nicholas Chartres as they discuss the latest research on microplastics and human health.
CHE-Alaska is part of CHE’s broader network, which is an international partnership of almost 5,000 individuals and organizations in 87 countries and all 50 US states that are committed to addressing environmental impacts on human health across the lifespan.
We encourage you to become a CHE partner so you can receive their monthly email newsletters, announcements about upcoming webinars, and other updates on a range of environmental health topics. Visit www.healthandenvironment.org to learn more.
- “Effects of Microplastic Exposure on Human Digestive, Reproductive, and Respiratory Health: A Rapid Systematic Review” | Environmental Science & Technology
- Microplastics in the Air May Be Leading to Lung and Colon Cancers
- “Estimation of the mass of microplastics ingested – A pivotal first step towards human health risk assessment”
- “Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains”
- 2022 Research Topic: Microplastics
Featured speakers
Abena BakenRa, MPH, is a Science Associate working with the Science, Policy & Engagement team at the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE). In her role with PRHE, she manages the Science Action Network, coordinates the public commenting efforts in response to EPA chemical rulemaking, and leverages her expertise in public health to advance PRHE’s mission. She received her MPH from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. There, she researched place-based impacts on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. Through her research, Abena aims to address health effects in underserved and under-resourced communities, especially among historically oppressed groups.
Nicholas Chartres, Ph.D., MHumNutr, is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Sydney where he studies the commercial determinants of health, focusing on chemicals, nutrition, and public health. He is a research methodologist specializing in the conduct of environmental health and nutrition systematic reviews. He works with national and international organizations and agencies to implement empirically based methods to develop guidelines and risk assessments to ensure improved consistency, greater transparency, and reduced bias when evaluating the scientific evidence and formulating recommendations.