The headlines about microplastics keep getting more alarming.
A recent Stanford Report article repeated the often-quoted claim that “adults ingest the equivalent of one credit card per week in microplastics.”1
A CNBC story from last month claimed that a study “found that human brains from 2024 had an average of about 7 grams of plastic.”2
If you’re reading this, we assume you share our concern about these tiny particles infiltrating our food, water, and bodies. But we also believe in approaching this topic with scientific literacy and informed skepticism.
The media can raise awareness of important health issues, but they can also be careless or sensationalist. So, never take headlines at face value.
When it comes to topics like microplastics where scientific consensus is not established, it’s important to examine the research context and parse what conclusions are backed by solid evidence versus what remains unknown.
What the Research Actually Said
Let's examine the “one credit card per week” claim. Critics have questioned the methodology: how it summarized various smaller studies with different measurement methods, different definitions of microplastics, and often tiny sample sizes. The study was also commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which is important context.
The CNBC “7 grams of plastic” story exemplifies how journalistic retelling can get basic scientific findings wrong. The actual study found brain samples contained about 4,800 micrograms of microplastics per gram of tissue. CNBC translated this to “7 grams of plastic” in the entire brain without explaining the methodology.
Meanwhile, studies pointing to the other end of the spectrum rarely make headlines. One published in Environmental Science & Technology suggested that median lifetime accumulation was only about 40.7 nanograms for adults by age 70.3 That's just about 0.008% of the mass of a single grain of sand.
So which is it: 5 grams per week, or 40.7 nanograms over a lifetime? We are still very far from scientific consensus.
Our Philosophy: Being Thoughtfully Cautious
The mass of microplastics isn’t even the most critical question – it’s the biological impact of whatever mass it actually is. This question remains largely unanswered.
We don’t know whether 0.008% of a sand grain’s worth affects our health.
Related plastic chemicals like phthalates have been linked to reproductive developmental effects during pregnancy, suggesting even small exposures can matter during critical windows.
But overall, these uncertainties tell us that it’s important to neither panic nor be complacent. At Haomomo, we believe in making informed choices while research continues. We design our products to help families reduce microplastic exposure.
We can acknowledge potential risks while avoiding extremes of dismissal and catastrophizing. The most productive path forward is taking reasonable precautions based on current understanding while critically reviewing emerging science.
What’s your approach to navigating health topics where science is still evolving? How are you balancing caution with complacency when it comes to microplastics?