You’d probably already figure that microplastics are not the best for the environment. But little did you know that basically, it may be associated with literally screwing with your mind. A recent study published in Environment International suggests that there might be a potential relationship between polystyrene microplastics and anxiety. Wait, what?.
So what exactly are microplastics? Those are minuscule plastic particles, mostly less than five millimeters in size, created by the breakdown of larger items of plastic. They appear to be everywhere: in personal care products, packaging foodstuffs, even the air one breathes.
The research team conducted experiments on eight weeks old male mice. After being exposed to polystyrene microplastics, mice were taken into the mazes to watch their behavior. The results were quite striking. According to the results, mice, which had been exposed to higher doses of microplastics, expressed anxiety-like behavior.
It could be because “polystyrene microplastics might be stimulating certain brain receptors promoting inflammation responses by the body.” The study also finds that “Microplastics [are] persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, and their impact on human health is of particular concern.”
Why should you care? If 16% of the global population wasn’t already such a big issue, putting anxiety disorders in perspective, then making mice anxious will indeed give reason for concern regarding potential human mental health impacts. As the authors of the paper note, “Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognised in anxiety-related disorders for its established role in chronic mental illnesses.”
So how could you save your own life? First, would be to reduce your exposure to microplastics. Here are some helpful suggestions:
•Start carrying those reusable bottles made from metal or glass rather than single-use plastic water bottles.
• Do not heat up your food in plastics because it makes it likely that more microplastics can leak into your food.
• Replace non-natural products, such as commercial cleaning products that come to us with plastics and various chemicals, with natural products, for example, vinegar.
• Decrease consumption of red meat; fatty foods possibly have high microplastics levels in them. Instead, increase intake of beans and other plant protein sources.
Another area of concern is how microplastics come to be in our food and water. Now, most of our water sources contain some level of contaminants of microplastics. I am involved with scientists working on ways to filter these particles, but you can take steps at your home with known water filters that help to reduce the water’s content of microplastics.
If you want to become more active in your general exposure, here is more information on how to take these steps:
• Read personal care product labels and avoid those that contain “microbeads.”
• Avoid playing clothes with natural fibers, like cotton or wool; synthetic fibers, such as polyester, shed microplastics.
• Support policies and companies working on reducing plastic waste.
Another possible link with a mental facet is microplastics, although such a link has yet to be proven. This alone should make us more careful in consuming plastics; really, in the end, your small contributions through these daily habits will reduce exposure and contribute to making a cleaner environment for all humans. Every little bit helps.
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