Are we breathing microplastics? Study reveals the shocking a ..

You’re not just eating or drinking plastic—turns out, you might be breathing it too. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. A new study has found that the air inside our homes and cars is loaded with microplastics. Yep, tiny invisible plastic bits just floating around waiting to be inhaled.

Researchers used fancy machines (Raman micro-spectroscopy, if you care) to measure how many plastic particles are in the air we breathe indoors. Apartments had over 500 particles per cubic meter. Cars? Almost 2,300. And over 90% of those were small enough to get deep into your lungs. So if you're spending time indoors (which, let’s face it, we all do), you could be inhaling around 68,000 plastic particles every single day. That’s wild.

Microplastics are tiny—like really tiny—fragments of plastic. Most are smaller than a grain of salt. Some are even smaller than a human hair. Once they’re inside you, they’re not just hanging out doing nothing. They mess with your cells, trigger inflammation, carry harmful chemicals, and can even mess with your hormones. They’ve been found in placentas and brains. So yeah, it's serious.

Where’s all this plastic dust coming from? Carpets, clothes, sofas, dashboards, packaging—basically everything around us that’s synthetic. Even walking on your rug or folding laundry can kick plastic into the air.

Cars are worse than homes. Confined space, synthetic everything, no fresh air. It’s like a microplastic sauna in there. Especially dangerous for people with asthma or kids who breathe in more air per body weight.

Can you avoid this? Not completely. But you can cut it down. Open windows. Use a HEPA air purifier. Vacuum often. Choose cotton over polyester. Don’t microwave plastic containers. Clean your car. Small steps, big difference.

Bottom line? We’ve turned the air into a plastic buffet. You can’t opt out entirely, but you can definitely stop going back for seconds.
**This news was published on Times of India on 31st July, 2025.

 

 

 

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