Hidden in Plain Sight: How Microplastics Are Making Us Sick and Creating Business Opportunities

When Aidan Charron, Director of End Plastic Initiatives at EARTHDAY.ORG, joined us on GreenTech Pulse, he shared a startling reality: microplastics aren’t just in the ocean, they’re in our blood, food, drinking water, and even the air we breathe in our homes.

“Plastic doesn’t ever truly disappear in the same way that other materials do,” Charron explains. Unlike wood or other natural materials that break down into their base elements, plastic simply fragments into smaller and smaller pieces becoming microplastics and eventually nanoplastics.

The result? These tiny particles are now virtually everywhere on Earth, making them impossible to avoid completely and extremely difficult to clean up once released into the environment.

The Health Crisis You Haven’t Heard About

The danger isn’t necessarily the plastic itself, but rather the chemicals added during manufacturing. “There are 16,000 different chemicals that can go into the production of plastic,” Charron reveals. “Of those, only 4,200 have been studied, and at least 4,000 of those studied have been found to be harmful to human health.”

These chemicals are linked to serious health issues, including:

• Cancer
• Infertility
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s
• Neurological disorders
• Endocrine disruption (affecting the body’s hormone systems)

Perhaps most shocking is the economic impact: plastic exposure costs the US healthcare system approximately $250 billion annually, with global costs reaching around $2 trillion.

Surprising Sources of Microplastics in Your Home

While most of us recognize obvious plastic items like bottles and packaging, Charron highlighted several unexpected sources of microplastics that might be contaminating your home:

1. Synthetic clothing: Polyester, nylon, and acrylic fabrics shed microplastic fibers when worn and washed
2. Carpets: Synthetic carpet fibers shed continuously, with children and pets receiving higher exposure due to their proximity to the floor
3. Tires: Vehicle tires contain synthetic rubber that wears down, releasing microplastics into the air and water systems
4. Household items: Everything from furniture to electronics may contain plastic components that gradually shed microparticles

“It’s not an individual’s fault that we’re in this crisis,” Charron emphasizes. “Plastic at this point is unavoidable… we’ve been told that plastic was harmless for 50 years, that there’s no issues with it, and we’re just finally coming to realize there are some issues with this miracle material.”

Emerging Technologies and Solutions

While the problem is significant, innovative solutions are emerging. Charron highlights several promising developments:

• Filtration systems: For laundry machines and water systems to capture microplastics before they enter waterways
• Alternative materials: Aluminum and cardboard as readily recyclable alternatives for packaging
• Mycelium packaging: Mushroom-based materials that can replace styrofoam and truly break down naturally

“The mycelium mushroom material is really cool,” Charron notes. “They grow and mold it, dry it out, and it basically acts exactly the same way that styrofoam does, but it is truly compostable.”

The $2 Trillion Business Opportunity

For entrepreneurs and businesses, the microplastic crisis represents a massive opportunity. With regulations against plastic already emerging across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Micronesia, companies developing alternatives are positioned to capture significant market share.

Charron points to packaging as the most promising area: “50% of single-use plastic makes up 50% of all plastic. So 25% of all plastic is that single-use packaging. If you could figure out a better way to package things that doesn’t involve using plastic and is still lightweight and cheap to transport, you can make tons of money in the future.”

Key business opportunities include:

• Sustainable packaging: Developing alternatives to single-use plastic packaging
• Reusability systems: Creating effective closed-loop systems for product containers
• Filtration technology: Designing better systems to capture microplastics from water and air
• Alternative materials: Developing scalable, cost-effective alternatives to plastic

Practical Steps to Reduce Your Exposure

While eliminating all plastic exposure is nearly impossible in today’s world, Charron suggests several practical steps to reduce your personal exposure:

1. Conduct a “plastic audit” of your home to identify plastic items that could be replaced
2. Replace plastic kitchenware with glass, ceramic, or metal alternatives
3. Choose natural fiber clothing over synthetic materials
4. Use reusable shopping bags and containers when shopping
5. Opt for bar soap instead of liquid soap in plastic dispensers
6. Replace plastic pet toys with natural alternatives
7. Boil water to potentially reduce microplastic content

“It’s just tiny little transitions over a long period of time that is going to greatly reduce the plastic you’re using in your life,” Charron advises.

The Global Response

The international community is beginning to take action. The Global Plastic Treaty, currently in its fifth round of negotiations, aims to create legally binding regulations similar to the Montreal Protocol (which successfully addressed the ozone layer crisis) and the Minamata Convention (which tackled mercury pollution).

“If we want to save the planet $2 trillion, we look pretty good for a business,” Charron notes. “Any amount of money that we’re saving the planet is going to look good.”

Looking Forward

As regulations continue to develop and consumer awareness grows, businesses that adapt early will have a competitive advantage. The shift away from plastic represents not just an environmental necessity but a significant business opportunity.

For listeners of GreenTech Pulse interested in exploring this space further, Charron recommends focusing on packaging solutions and reusability schemes as the most promising areas for innovation.

To learn more about microplastics and EARTHDAY.ORG’s initiatives, visit earthday.org or contact Aidan Charron directly at charron@earthday.org.

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