How much plastic is in the human brain?

The answer after asking how much plastic is in the human brain has surprised the scientists. They thought that the filtering organs, the kidney and liver would be the chief receptacles.

But no, there is far more accumulating in the brain.

The neurodegenerative diseases

We humans are very afraid of infectious diseases that kill suddenly and quickly; of meningitis and the surge in various types of flu that are causing such havoc.

But researchers are adamant that far more deaths are caused by the chronic degenerative diseases; they are slow and merciless, often with terrible suffering. Just think of the diabetic who has a leg amputated, cancer cells that have invaded the breast and the dementia that is sweeping the First World.

Sometimes it is sheer stubbornness; we know perfectly well what large amounts of sugar and ultra-refined carbs are doing to our bodies. Often it is ignorance; we have no inkling of what the unseen toxic herbicides sprayed onto our food are doing to the tissues that produce our blood cells.

I do not use the word "ignorance" in a derogatory sense. Nutritional science is so complex that even the experts are changing their opinions every other week. None of us has a real handle on what is happening. But the researchers are getting systematically closer.

So how much plastic is in the human brain? And what effect is it having on these so-called neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's?

Sources of plastic

The sources of plastic in the human brain are ubiquitous. They are simply everywhere; but researchers have found that water bottles top the list and that would include all soft drinks too.

Those drinking most of their water from plastic bottles versus from the tap are getting more than 20 times the number of these tiny microparticles; and that's just from the container itself. There will certainly be more from the liquid.

So that is relatively easy of to fix; stop buying all soft drinks and water in plastic bottles. Take a glass or metal container with you to work or school.

Microwavable plastic containers?

Another common source is the plastic containers we store our food in; and takeaways. this is specially the case if you reheat them in the microwave. It's really not that difficult to store your leftovers in glassware. We have already made the transition and it was not painful.

In particular don't microwave any food in a plastic container or bag.

If all that's just too much trouble, then no one can help you. Start to plan now how you are going to manage the onset of those nasty degenerative diseases. One in nine at age 65 already have signs of dementia; and it is set to double in the next three decades.

Studies have clearly shown that there is no such thing as a safe microwavable plastic container; under various conditions it is certain that highly toxic compounds may be released into the food^[2].

Our sources of water

Microparticles of plastic are found in virtually all sources of water; the oceans, lakes and streams. The possible exceptions are that from natural springs and boreholes but even they are suspect.

There certainly is plastic in tap water too.

Those sourcing their drinking water from the rain are better off but because of the plastic microparticles in the air and storage tanks, even that is not perfectly safe; especially in industrial areas where contamination from the environment is inevitable. 

No water is perfectly safe from plastic contamination; not even that from reverse osmosis. Nano-particles can pass through the membranes.

Having said that water sourced from the rain and natural springs, stored in glass containers is probably the safest you will find.

• Avoid plastic in water by harvesting the rain
  

But how much plastic is in the human brain?

The most important part of human beings is protected from contamination by what is known as "blood-brain barrier."

But the generalised inflammation associated with our lifestyle is affecting this barrier; and allowing large amounts of tiny plastic particles through, to be embedded in the brain.

How much plastic is in the human brain?

How much plastic is in the human brain has a scary answer; far more than in the filtering organs. And even worse is that the concentration is rising extremely fast.

The blood-brain barrier is able to keep the larger pieces out but the nanoplastics are getting through and are being embedded in the tissue; it's accumulating.

They found 2 grams of plastic stuck in the frontal cortex; that part responsible for reasoning, judgement and problem solving, for example. It also controls voluntary movements of our limbs and mouths. That is nearly half of the weight of a credit card embedded in our brains.

Even worse is that there is nearly a 50% increase in these tiny plastic particles, comparing those cadavers from 2016 with 2024.

What kind of plastic is being found in the human brain?

Not surprisingly because it is the chief plastic used in water bottles, those used for storing our food and sandwich bags, they found that polyethylene was the chief contaminant poisoning our brains.

Is this plastic really causing dementia?

Those cadavers of humans that had been suffering from dementia had an astonishing 10 times as much plastic in their frontal cortexes; 2 whole credit card's worth.

Tiles rather than carpets

Around the half of the plastic we are ingesting is being breathed in; and our carpets and clothing are major sources. When upgrading your home, could you tile instead?

Clothing

Some of that plastic we breathe in is coming from our clothes. It makes sense to keep our old garments for as long as possible; and even buy secondhand that has already lost most of those volatile particles.

• Wear your clothes out
  

Tea bags

The chemistry is complex but bags from which the tea leaves had been removed, when tested under typical conditions of steeping in hot water for five minutes were found to release toxic chemical cyclic dimers^[2].

In any event loose tea tastes far nicer than that brewed from bags; and is cheaper.

US coastal communities

Research have shown that people living in coastal communities where the marine plastic pollution is very high (greater than ten pieces per m³ of seawater) had 15% greater prevalence of cognitive disability. Adjusting for a number of factors it was estimated that a more realistic figure was 9 percent.

Whilst causation remains to be established these factors confirm that the very high levels of dementia are at least in part due to plastic in the human brain; and that living close to the ocean is a risk factor.

Unduly anxious

Are we becoming unduly anxious about plastic contamination? Is all this really absurd? 1 in 9 people older than 65 with dementia persuades me otherwise. Simple things like enjoying loose tea, avoiding plastic water bottles and not microwaving in questionable containers to help prevent Alzheimer's Disease makes sense. Returning to milk bottled in glass is proving more difficult but not impossible.

1. Human Consumption of Microplastics
2. Nano and Microplastics Migration from Plastic Food Packaging into Dairy Products
3. Are Water Filters Effective Against Microplastics?

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