“More and more studies show that plastics are present in the brain, including this new one, and they shouldn’t be there,” says Kasteel. “We don’t know that much about the health effects, but the fact is that they are there and they shouldn’t be there, and maybe that’s worrying enough.” 

Campen’s research team wants to look at the whole brain next, to understand if there’s more plastic accumulation in one specific area, and to see if that links to any specific health outcomes.

While there is no way to completely avoid exposure to plastics, Kasteel says that on a personal level there are small choices you can make that can reduce exposure: minimizing single-use plastics, ventilating your home well and vacuuming regularly to remove dust and plastic debris, and avoiding cosmetic products that intentionally add MNPs like scrubs with plastic beads.

Scientists are also developing solutions to reduce microplastics in the environment. There’s a type of worm that eats polystyrene, and fungi and microbes that break down plastics in the environment. Scientists are developing new types of filters to remove MNPs from drinking water.

“Plastic is everywhere. Most people cannot imagine a world without plastic… even if we stop producing plastic right now, the world will still be full of microplastics,” says Kasteel. “So it’s good to think about mitigation measures, applying a precautionary principle, and seeing what we can do to minimize exposure, to maybe prevent certain health risks that there might be.”