Plastic, Our Food, and Our Brains: An Easy Exposure We Can Reduce

I have become increasingly concerned about how much plastic we allow to come into contact with our food and water. Plastic food containers. Plastic water bottles. Prepared meals packaged in plastic. And, most concerning to me, heating food in plastic in the microwave.

We may not yet know everything these tiny plastic particles are doing inside the human body, but we know enough for me to make a very simple choice:

I don't want to eat them if I can avoid it.

What happens when plastic is heated?

Researchers have now shown that heating food in plastic can release enormous numbers of microplastics and nanoplastics.

A 2023 study published in Environmental Science & Technology tested plastic food containers under different conditions. Microwave heating produced the greatest release. Some containers released as many as approximately 4.22 million microplastic particles and 2.11 billion nanoplastic particles per square centimeter of plastic surface after only three minutes of microwaving.

That got my attention.

Nanoplastics are especially concerning because they are extremely small. Their size allows them to interact with cells and potentially cross biological barriers (including the blood brain barrier)  in ways that larger pieces of plastic cannot. In microwaving,  nanoplastic particles are also sent into the air and can affect the lungs when inhaled.

 

So when a package says “microwave safe,” I no longer interpret that to mean, “Nothing from this plastic is getting into my food.” It generally means the container can tolerate microwave heating without melting or failing under the specified conditions. It does not guarantee that no plastic particles or chemicals migrate into the food. Manufacturers do not measure this.

Plastic has now been found in the human brain

This is the part I find particularly difficult to ignore.

A major 2025 study published in Nature Medicine examined human brain, liver, and kidney tissue. Researchers found substantially higher concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics in the brain than in the liver or kidneys.

Many of the particles in the brain were extremely small nanoplastic fragments.

Even more striking, researchers found greater accumulation in brain tissue from people who had documented dementia.

That does not prove that plastic caused their dementia.

Correlation is not causation, and the researchers did not claim that it was.

But I have to ask a different question:

Do we really want to wait until every possible consequence has been proven before reducing an exposure that is relatively easy to avoid?

For me, the answer is no.

Having taught Physical Science at WVU, I remembered that plastic is an insulator for electrical activity. Does it take major research to link plastic nanoparticles and interference with brain electrical activity?  I believe it is a simple deduction. 

This isn't only about the brain

Research has also raised concerns about micro- and nanoplastics in other areas of health.

In a 2024 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found micro- and nanoplastics in plaque removed from patients' carotid arteries. People whose plaque contained these particles subsequently experienced substantially more heart attacks, strokes, or deaths during follow-up. Again, this does not prove that the plastic particles caused those events, but the association was significant enough to deserve attention.

Systematic reviews have also identified concerns involving intestinal inflammation, lung injury, immune effects, and reproductive health, although much of this research is still stronger in laboratory and animal studies than in long-term human studies.

We are still learning.

But meanwhile, plastic exposure continues.

What about bottled water?

Plastic water bottles are another easy place to reduce exposure and trash.

Water remains in contact with plastic for days, weeks, or months. Bottles may also be exposed to heat during transportation or storage.

I prefer glass or stainless steel whenever practical.

I recently recycled all the plastic wear for a person and purchased a lovely set of glass containers on Marketplace for $25.  A small price compared to hospital costs.

The change I most strongly recommend

Of all the changes we can make, this one seems particularly simple:

Do not microwave food in plastic.

If food comes in a plastic container, take it out.

Put it in glass or ceramic before microwaving or, even better, heat it on the stove, in a conventional or convection oven, insta pot, or using another cooking method.

Also, I am suspicious of pots and pans that are coated with some form of plastic – uncoated stainless steel and cast iron are tried and true utinsils for cooking. Dimentia has been on the rise in recent times with dramatic increases. My grandmother (born 1883) was sharp minded until a few of her lasts weeks at age 93. She did two crosswords a day until age 90 when she slowed to one a day. Her friends also were mentally sharp into old age. One I visited at age 104 was amazingly aware. What’s different between then and now?  Microwaves, plastics, non-stick surfaces on cooking gear.  Could those new ways be a contributing? 

That tiny extra effort could substantially reduce one source of micro- and nanoplastic exposure.

I would suggest:

  • Store leftovers in glass.

  • Choose glass or stainless-steel lined drinking bottles.

  • Reduce single-use bottled water.

  • Use stainless steel and cast iron (eliminate non-stick) cookwear.

  • When buying prepared foods, choose glass, paper, or other alternatives and ask your suppliers to provide more glass container options (more easily found in health food stores).

  • Eliminate microwaving or drastically reduce it.  

A precaution doesn't require panic

I am not suggesting that every exposure to plastic causes disease.

And I am certainly not saying that plastic has been proven to cause dementia.

What I am saying is this:

Tiny plastic particles are getting into our bodies. They have been found in our blood vessels, reproductive tissues, lungs, and brains. Heating certain plastics can dramatically increase the number released. And researchers are finding biological effects that deserve serious attention.

So, I am choosing the precautionary approach.

When there is a simple alternative, why add another unnecessary exposure?

For me, that means:

Less plastic.
Less bottled water.
More glass.
And never deliberately heating my food in plastic.
Choosing restaurants that do not use microwaves.

Sometimes improving our health doesn't require an expensive supplement or complicated program. Sometimes it starts with changing the container and altering a few habits.

Essential References

Hussain, K. A., Romanova, S., Okur, I., & Li, Y. (2023). Assessing the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic containers and reusable food pouches: Implications for human health. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(26), 9782–9792. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c01942

Nihart, A. J., Garcia, M. A., El Hayek, E., et al. (2025). Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nature Medicine, 31, 1114–1119. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1

Marfella, R., et al. (2024). Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. The New England Journal of Medicine, 390(10), 900–910. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822

Chartres, N., Cooper, C. B., Bland, G., et al. (2024). Effects of microplastic exposure on human digestive, reproductive, and respiratory health: A rapid systematic review. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(52), 22843–22864. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c09524

For more information and ideas on possible help see the full article: https://www.bodysoulandangels.com/dimentia-microparticles-and-microwaves

All Copyrights Lyneah Marks, Body, Soul & Angels Publishing 2026