Our Brains Are Soaking Up Microplastics More Than Other Organs

Microplastics are accumulating in the brain more than other organs; health effects remain unclear.

By Paul Smaglik
Feb 4, 2025 8:45 PMFeb 4, 2025 8:51 PM
Microplastics in the body
(Credit: YRABOTA/Shutterstock)

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People quite literally have plastic on their brain — or, more accurately, in it. A new study detected microplastics in human brains at much higher concentrations than in other organs.

Microplastics are tiny pieces of broken-down polymers. They are building up in the air, water, and soil. They have also been detected in human livers, kidneys, placentas, and testes.

However, their accumulation in the brain appears to be increasing much faster and at higher concentrations than in those other organs, according to the Nature Medicine study.

Growing Microplastic Numbers

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