The Microplastic Crisis: We're Eating a Credit Card's Worth of Plastic Every Week

The average person ingests approximately 5 grams of microplastics weekly — equivalent to a credit card. Found in drinking water, food (especially seafood), air, and even human blood and placentas. Health effects still being studied but early evidence links microplastics to inflammation, endocrine disruption, and cellular damage. Sources: synthetic clothing (washing releases microfibers), tire wear (biggest source of microplastic pollution), single-use plastics, and industrial processes. Solutions at scale remain elusive — filtration helps but doesn't eliminate the problem. The most effective intervention would be reducing plastic production at source.