How to Protect Your Baby from Microplastics - Simple Swaps That Work
NY Magazine posted an article recently about the amount of microplastics accumulating in our bodies and brains. Spoiler alert: IT’S A LOT! About a spoonful of microplastics now live rent free in our brains. And this environmental pollution has been doubling every 15 years since WW2. Even worse, despite my healthy lifestyle, there’s probably microplastics in my placenta getting transported to my unborn baby.
This is a super important topic for human health, especially when it comes to babies. First, researchers pointed to the microplastics in our homes that shed from SYNTHETIC FIBERS like polyester and nylon. A California study showed more than 6 times the amount microfibers indoors vs outdoors. This is due to the prevalence of synthetic plastics making up our carpets, couches, toys and blankets.
Just by moving around in synthetic clothing, one person could be individually producing 900 million microfibers per year. These microfibers can be ingested or inhaled, which is why we have so many of them in our bodies, contributing to cell death and inflammation.
And infants are the most vulnerable to these bio-accumulative toxins that wreak havoc on human health. A study from 2021 showed that 1 years olds had 10 times the microplastics in their feces compared to adults. The plastic they found is PET which is an extremely common polymer that’s known as polyester when it’s used for clothing or bedding.
Although adults are bigger, scientists think that infants actually have MORE exposure because they have a habit of putting everything in their mouths—plastic toys of all kinds, but they’ll also chew on fabrics. Microplastics that shed from synthetic textiles are known more specifically as microfibers, but they’re plastic all the same.
So, how do you protect yourself and your family? One huge step is to prioritize natural fibers over synthetic ones, especially for infants. Natural materials like the merino and cashmere in our baby blankets do not shed microplastics – they’re completely natural. By crowding out the synthetic fibers in your home, using a HEPA filtered vacuum to regularly vacuum up dust that could be inhaled and prioritizing glass, stainless steel and other plastic free options for food preparation, you are safeguarding the health of your youngest and most vulnerable family members.
References:
NYMagazine: There's a Spoonful of Plastic in Our Brains. Now What?
Detection of Microplastic in Human Placenta and Meconium in a Clinical Setting
Comments