ABC health expert Dr Norman Swan has stripped his kitchen of plastic and non-stick cookware due to fear about the health impact of microplastics.
Microplastics are tiny particles smaller than a grain of sand that seep from food containers, water and even baby toys into the bloodstream.
From there, they can accumulate in the brain, heart and other vital organs, potentially leading to inflammation, infertility and some forms of cancer.
Virtually all humans now have microplastics circulating in their bodies, and studies estimate the average person ingests around 50,000 particles every year.
While research is still evolving, experts say avoiding plastic food containers, swapping out non-stick cookware and even ditching toilet paper for a bidet could gradually reduce exposure.
Concerned about long-term contamination, Dr Swan has ditched everyday household items including plastic wrap, containers, chopping boards and non-stick pans, warning that scratched surfaces can release harmful substances into food.
‘Non-stick cookware has gone from my household – you don’t know what’s coming off there,’ he said.
Dr Swan said he has also stopped microwaving or dishwashing plastic items due to growing evidence that heat accelerates the leaching of chemicals.
ABC health expert Dr Norman Swan has stripped his kitchen of plastic and non-stick cookware amid growing fears about the health impacts of microplastics.
Many Australian homes have a cupboard of plastic containers lurking in their kitchens
Dr Swan’s overhaul reflects a growing awareness among health professionals about the potential risks of microplastics, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream through breathing, drinking or eating, and pass to organs such as the heart and brain.
In one suburban Sydney household, the hidden dangers of microscopic pollutants are being brought to light.
Mum-of-two Eleanor Saxon-Mills said that while she grows her own vegetables and keeps chickens in her backyard in Sydney’s west, she still relies heavily on plastics.
‘When I look around my house, there’s plastic literally everywhere. I have no idea how it’s even getting into me, let alone how to stop it.’
While the kitchen is often assumed to be the main source of microplastic exposure, an experiment in Ms Saxon-Mills’ home led by RMIT microplastics researcher Dr Scott Wilson revealed startling results.
Petri dishes placed around her home showed the highest concentrations of microplastics in the bedroom and bathroom, where synthetic fibres are most prevalent.
The next-highest readings came from the children’s play area, not surprising given the abundance of plastic toys.
Dr Wilson said: ‘We’re breathing it in, and it can get trapped in the lungs. Particularly with kids and babies crawling around on the ground, picking it up and putting their hands to their mouths – they’ll be ingesting it more than adults.’
It’s estimated that between 13,000 and 16,000 chemicals or chemical ‘families’ are found in plastics, the vast majority of which have never been tested for safety.
MIT researcher Dr Scott Wilson (pictured) has issued a warning about microplastics
Of the few that have, a significant proportion have been linked to potential harm, including so-called ‘forever chemicals’ such as PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS, which were effectively banned in Australia in July this year.
Others include bisphenols and phthalates.
Dr Wilson said evidence of the dangers posed by microplastics is mounting, though much of it still relies on animal studies.
‘Through studies with surrogate species like rats and mice, we’re seeing effects such as growth and developmental issues, reproductive effects and behavioural changes – all of which could potentially be happening in humans as well,’ he said.
‘In one experiment, rats exposed to microplastics performed worse in maze tests, behaving as if they had early-onset dementia. They struggled to find the pathway and forgot where to go.’
Dr Swam was a young paediatrician when he emigrated to Australia and switched to journalism.
During the Covid pandemic, he was a strong advocate for lockdowns and stirred controversy when he linked the death of cricket great Shane Warne and Labor senator Kimberley Kitching to Covid with no evidence.
