By Jeremiah Aminu
Recently, there has been a surge of interest regarding the impact of microplastics on the ecosystem, environment, and human health. Interestingly, focus has centred around the hazardous impacts that microplastics pose to the health and well-being of humans. However, before proceeding with this, it is essential to, first of all, understand what microplastics are.
Microplastics, a consequence of plastic pollution, are plastic particles that originate from the gradual breakdown of larger plastic products. According to ScienceDirect, they are “small plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, generated during the decomposition of waste plastics and commonly found in wastewater from various materials, including personal care products and textiles”.
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What is more, microplastics can be classified into two major categories—primary and secondary microplastics. On the one hand, primary microplastics refer to “tiny plastic particles designed for use in commercial preparations, like microbeads in exfoliating body scrubs”, as stated by Cruz Foam. In other words, they encompass small plastic particles that are used in the industrial manufacturing of plastic-related products. Examples of such primary microplastic materials include microbeads, plastic glitter, and microfibers.
On the other hand, secondary microplastics, according to a study by Myers and North (2025), refer to plastic particles that “form from the breakdown of larger plastic items—such as abandoned fishing gear, plastic litter, cleaning sponges—through weathering and environmental exposure”. Simply put, they are microplastic particles that originate from the decomposition of larger plastic items.
To proceed, the origination of microplastics can be traced to certain sources. These include plastic bottles, plastic kitchen utensils, plastic pellets, plastic bags, synthetic clothing, car tyres, and many other plastic-related products. Consequently, they serve as contributing factors to the pervasiveness of microplastics in the environment, especially in the ocean, in the air, in water systems, and even in food products (such as honey, cooking ingredients, and seafood), as well as in the human body. It is this widespread presence of microplastics that, therefore, makes it nearly impossible for humans to avoid ingesting them into their body systems, causing them to spread into organs that play a significant role in the functionality of the human body. For instance, Myers and North, in their research, spotlighted the widespread presence of microplastics within significant human bodily organs, some of which include the brain, lungs, liver, blood, and limb joints:
“Microplastics have now been detected throughout the human body—including the blood, lungs, liver and even lower limb joints. Scientists have found evidence of microplastics in our brains, and further studies have revealed how these microplastics are accumulating and rapidly rising”.
Reports by The Guardian have also revealed the presence of microplastics in other pivotal body parts such as the testicles and human cells.
Thus, one can now ask this germane question: Are microplastics a threat to the wellbeing and health of humans?
To begin, microplastics are said to be an emerging causal factor for cardiovascular diseases. This is supported by a 2024 study by Marfella et al. which submits that microplastics may serve as likely contributors to stroke and heart attack which eventually result in death.
Furthermore, microplastics are also regarded as plausible contributors to preterm births. Professor Aagaard confirmed this in a 2025 Guardian report where she stated that:
“Our study hints at the possibility that the accumulation of plastics could be contributing to the occurrence of preterm birth. Combined with other recent research, this study adds to the growing body of evidence that demonstrates a real risk from exposure to plastics on human health and disease”.
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Research has also marked microplastics as hazardous agents to cells in the human body. As stated in a 2021 Guardian report, these microplastic particles contribute to cell death, allergic response, and damage to cell walls.
Thus, on the whole, do microplastics pose a potential risk to the wellbeing and health of humans? Yes. Can humans avoid the consumption of these plastic particles into the body system? No. Why? This is due to the pervasive presence of these microplastics in the air that we inhale, in the food that we eat, and in the water that we drink. Nonetheless, this does not imply that the consumption of these particles cannot be reduced. As such, preventive measures to ensure their reduced consumption into the human system should be prioritised in order to avoid potential health risks to humans. Until then, these pollutants should be under constant surveillance to fully estimate their impacts on the health and well-being of humans.
