A woman’s attempt to eliminate plastic from her life reveals how deeply the material is embedded in daily routines and raises unresolved questions about its health risks.
Annie Lowrey writes for The Atlantic.
In short:
- After discarding her nonstick cookware, Lowrey tries to purge her home of plastic and later tests her blood for PFAS, finding “intermediate” levels of the chemicals.
- Despite growing public concern and nascent research linking microplastics and plastic chemicals to health problems, definitive answers about risks and safe exposure levels remain elusive.
- Experts warn that avoiding plastic exposure entirely is nearly impossible, and that vulnerable populations — children, pregnant people, and those with existing health conditions — face the greatest risk.
Key quote:
“Everything is made from chemicals, and things are made in China and they don’t have high levels of quality control. That’s what the modern world has to offer us.”
— Quest Diagnostics physician
Why this matters:
Plastic has become so ubiquitous that it’s now woven into our homes, our products, and even our bodies. Studies have found plastic particles in human placentas, breast milk, and bloodstream samples, raising urgent questions about long-term health impacts. Chemicals commonly used in plastics — like PFAS and phthalates — are linked to conditions ranging from hormone disruption to cancer, yet most consumers remain unaware of their exposure. While concern mounts, regulation lags behind, and people are left navigating a toxic landscape largely alone.
