Thread by @Telegraph

❌ Microplastics are “one of the greatest manmade disasters of our time”, according to the Natural History Museum.

That’s bad news, given they are also everywhere; in tap water, the food you buy, the clothes you wear and the air you breathe

Thread 🧵
telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness…

👁️ The largest microplastics can be seen by the naked eye, but many of them are small enough to act like specks of dust which we can inadvertently breathe in or eat in food.

The smallest particles are called nanoplastics - they can make their way deep into the human body

🔬New findings from the University of Portsmouth found that that we might be breathing in up to 7,000 microplastic particles a day
telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness…

🏡Using specialist equipment, they measured a typical family home and found the highest concentration of it was in the bedroom of the family’s eight-year-old daughter, whose room was decorated with plastic-based bedding, carpet and soft toys

❌Although research is in its infancy, the risks of these plastics could be serious – some studies have linked high exposure to cancer risk and disrupting our hormones.

In animal studies, the particles have been shown to affect metabolism, gut bacteria and the immune system

It is not yet known what a healthy level of microplastics might look like, but Dr Sabine Donnai, CEO of the Viavi clinic, is adamant that many people in the West are over the threshold

So, how do we stop microplastics getting into our bodies?

♻️Dr Donnai is sure that everyone can reduce their exposure with a few easy tweaks

Dr Donnai's recommendations include:

1⃣ Avoiding reheating takeaway food in plastic boxes
2⃣ Using a glass water bottle instead of a plastic one
3⃣ Avoiding using cling film on hot food
4⃣ Using metal or glass coffee cups

♻️Read our guide to reducing your microplastic intake here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness…