How to keep microplastics out of your body?

Microplastics are everywhere, especially indoors. We breathe them in, they enter our lungs and from there they can spread to other organs. Barbro Melgert is Professor of respiratory immunology at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. In MOMENTUM, her group investigates the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the lungs.

In an interview with Dutch newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden, Melgert shares her top tips on how to minimise the number of plastic particles entering our bodies.

• Ventilation is key! People often focus on bad air quality outside, but we spend most of our time indoors and the air quality inside is often much worse. Especially when it comes to the presence of microplastics. So ventilate as much as possible. Open windows and air vents and make sure fresh air flows into your home and office.
• Buy fewer clothes. A lot of microplastics our found in textiles, such as clothing, furniture, and carpets. They are released when we move, after which we breathe them in.
• Avoid tumble drying your clothes. Another way in which microplastics are released from clothing is in tumble dryers. So, try to air dry your clothes as much as possible. It also helps to wash at low temperatures in a full machine using a liquid detergent.
• Don’t heat food in the microwave in plastic containers. The heat releases microplastics which then enter your body with the food.