You Are Eating Plastic. Here Is What the Science Says.

Researchers estimate that humans ingest approximately 5 grams of plastic per week — the equivalent of a credit card. In 2020, microplastics were found in human placentas. In 2022, in human blood. In 2023, in human lung tissue.

The Seafood Connection

The primary dietary source of microplastics is seafood. Microplastics enter the ocean through wastewater and runoff. Plankton and filter feeders ingest them. Small fish eat plankton. Larger fish eat small fish. Each step up the food chain concentrates the microplastics. By the time you eat a large ocean fish, you are consuming the concentrated plastic load of potentially millions of smaller organisms. Regular shellfish consumers ingest up to 11,000 microplastic particles per year from shellfish alone.

Health Effects

In animal studies, microplastics cause intestinal inflammation and gut microbiome disruption at doses comparable to human dietary exposure. Microplastics carry chemical hitchhikers — plasticizers, flame retardants, heavy metals — that are themselves toxic. The presence of microplastics in placentas suggests they can affect fetal development.

The Plant-Based Advantage

Plants cannot bioaccumulate microplastics through the food chain the way animals do. People who eat primarily whole plant foods ingest approximately 2,000 microplastic particles per year — compared to tens of thousands for regular seafood consumers. Eliminating seafood is currently the single most effective dietary intervention for reducing microplastic exposure.

Every time you choose plants over seafood, you choose less plastic in your body and less demand for an industry polluting the ocean we all depend on.