Health Risks of Microplastics Highlighted at Recent Medical Conferences

Experts shared new insights at health care conferences last month to amplify concerns about the effects of microplastic exposure on human health. The topic was highlighted at both the 2025 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Session and the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting.

Experts at leading health care conferences last month called for further research into the health effects of microplastics and prompted immediate action to limit exposure. | Image Credit: Pcess609 - stock.adobe.com

Understanding Microplastics and Common Exposure Routes

Microplastics are plastic fragments and particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm.1 They are considered a heterogeneous group, consisting of different shapes, sizes, and polymer types. Microplastics are produced and added to personal care products, like cosmetics and facial cleansers. Industrial production, such as in the synthetic textile, plastics, and flocking industries, is also responsible for creating a large number of microplastics.

Microplastics contain chemical additives that can bind environmental toxins, which means they can be present in water and soil.2 About 65 million microplastic particles are released into water daily after being treated at a sewage treatment plant.1 Consequently, microplastics have the potential for long-term ecosystem disruption, with their movement through the environment and food chain increasing the risk of human exposure.

Humans are commonly exposed to microplastics through oral intake, inhalation, and skin contact. Oral intake is considered the main exposure route, with microplastics present in drinking water, food containers, rubber baby teats, and food itself, especially seafood. From food consumption alone, the intake of plastic particles in the human body ranges between 39,000 and 52,000 particles per person per year.

As for inhalation, microplastics in the air are mainly polyethylene (PE), polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate particles and fibers, ranging in size from 10 to 8000 μm. The largest source of microplastics (84%) in the atmosphere is roads. When considering both oral intake and inhalation, annual microplastic consumption ranges from 74,000 to 121,000 particles.

Although microplastics are typically considered not to pass through the skin barrier, they can still increase exposure risk by depositing on the skin. For example, the use of consumer products containing microplastics, like face cream and facial cleanser, will increase the exposure risk of PE. Also, protective mobile phone cases can generate microplastics during use, which are transferred to human hands. During the dermal exposure to microplastics, some typical plastic additives may be absorbed.

Evidence Grows on the Health Impact of Microplastic Exposure

Before exploring the potential harmful effects of microplastics, researchers highlighted the need to first understand their concentration in the human body. Recent research found that microplastics are transported throughout the body through blood circulation.1

As a result, they were found in 15 human biological components, including the liver, colon, lung, feces, placenta, and breast milk. The organs with the highest microplastic content are the colon (28.1 particles/g) and liver (4.6 particles/g).

At the cell level, microplastics were found to cause oxidative stress and DNA damage. Other experiments performed with human organoids, including airway, forebrain, intestinal, and liver organoids, found that all models exhibited functional disorders post-microplastic exposure.

Despite this growing evidence, major research gaps remain in precisely identifying microplastics, understanding their biological behavior, assessing realistic exposure risks, and linking exposure to human health outcomes. To clarify microplastics’ full impact, researchers highlighted the need for more studies using real-world samples, multiomics, and risk modeling.

Ongoing Dialogue Highlights Microplastics’ Role in Human Health

Experts at medical conferences last month worked to fill this gap by continuing the conversation around microplastics and human health. Data presented at the 2025 ACC Annual Scientific Session demonstrated that communities exposed to higher concentrations of microplastic pollution experience higher rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, stroke, and hypertension.3

Researchers from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine analyzed 555 US census tracts located within 200 meters of large bodies of water; microplastic concentration data are more reliably available in these areas. This data was merged with disease prevalence statistics from the CDC PLACES database and 154 additional socioeconomic and environmental factors, including employment, income, social vulnerability, and air pollution.

Areas with more microplastic pollution demonstrated a strong association with NCDs, with positive correlations between microplastic concentration and rates of diabetes (correlation coefficient r = 0.24), high blood pressure (r = 0.3), and stroke (r = 0.26). In contrast, cancer rates had a negative correlation (r = –0.16).

The researchers concluded that their study provides initial evidence that microplastic exposure impacts cardiovascular health, but it does not yet prove a causal relationship. To build upon their findings, they highlighted the need for further investigation, especially into the amount of time or exposure it takes for microplastics to impact a person’s health.

In the meantime, they instructed people to limit microplastic exposure. The researchers acknowledged that it is impossible to completely avoid ingesting or inhaling microplastics, but the best way to minimize exposure would be to curtail the amount of plastic produced and used, as well as ensure proper disposal.

“The environment plays a very important role in our health, especially cardiovascular health,” Sai Rahul Ponnana, MA, lead author and research data scientist at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, said in a press release.4 “As a result, taking care of our environment means taking care of ourselves.

The impact of microplastics on human health was further discussed at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting, where an expert focused on how they affect dermatological conditions.2

During a session, Dennis Niebel, MD, of University Hospital in Regensburg, Germany, reinforced that individuals can be exposed to microplastics through various sources, including personal care products, textile microfibers, and unintentional environmental releases. While they have the potential to penetrate the skin and interact with cells, he noted that there is currently limited clinical research on the subject; it is an emerging area of investigation.

Like Ponnana, Niebel instructed dermatologists to avoid the potential effects of microplastics as more information is being gathered. He instructed them to reduce single-use plastics, promote sustainable practices, avoid microplastics in personal care products, and support research initiatives.

“While plastics are crucial, both in dermatology and health care, their environmental health risks cannot be ignored,” he concluded. “We, as dermatologists, should actively reduce plastic where possible by choosing sustainable products, educating our patients, influencing industry practices, and reducing plastic pollution to mitigate health risks.”

References

1. Li Y, Tao L, Wang Q, Wang F, Li G, Song M. Potential health impact of microplastics: a review of environmental distribution, human exposure, and toxic effects. Environment & Health. 2023;1(4). doi:10.1021/envhealth.3c00052
2. McCormick B. Climate change, pollution’s growing impact on dermatology. AJMC®. March 10, 2025. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/climate-change-pollution-s-growing-impact-on-dermatology
3. Klein H. Microplastics linked to higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, stroke. AJMC. March 26, 2025. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/microplastics-linked-to-higher-rates-of-hypertension-diabetes-stroke
4. New evidence links microplastics with chronic disease. News release. American College of Cardiology. March 25, 2025. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2025/03/25/10/19/New-Evidence-Links-Microplastics-with-Chronic-Disease