Humans and animals are often exposed to microplastics because they are present in many substances.

As researchers seek to understand the impact of microplastics, evidence is building about the effects of exposure to these substances and how that may influence health outcomes.

A study published April 10 in Environmental Health PerspectivesTrusted Source examined how consuming microplastics in amounts similar to those found in our environment affected mice.

According to the study authors, ingested microplastics spread from the gut to the brain, liver, and kidneys.

“Our findings suggest that microplastic exposure can lead to metabolic changes in these tissues, indicating potential systemic effects,” study author Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, told Medical News Today.

“The implications of our findings for human health are substantial.”

Microplastics have become highly prominent in the environment, including in soil, food, and water.

The authors of the present study define microplastics as plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. They wanted to find out how different types of microplastics influenced body organs in mice.

The study authors attempted to replicate consumption of microplastics in a quantity that is similar to human exposure. Mice were exposed to different amounts of polystyrene or mixed polymer microspheres through oral gastric feeding.

After mice were fed microplastics, the researchers examined serum, brain, liver, kidney, and colon tissues to identify the presence of microplastics.

Researchers identified microplastics in multiple organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys of exposed mice. These findings show how microplastics are capable of spreading to other, distant areas of the body.

After microplastic exposure, they also found that specific metabolic changes occurred in the colon, liver, and brain.

These changes depended on how much exposure the mice received and what type of microplastic they were exposed to.

“By exposing mice to levels of microplastics similar to human ingestion, we discovered that these particles can indeed migrate from the gut into organs such as the liver, kidney, and brain,” Garcia explained.

This study adds to existing literature about the scope and influence of microplastics, but more work needs to be done to fully understand the effects.

In the meantime, there are a few ways to reduce your risk of exposure to these substances.

For instance, recent evidence suggests that boiling water and pouring it through a coffee filter may help eliminate many of the microplastics found in water. If research continues to confirm these findings, this could become a more common practice.

Leslie proposed additional suggestions for reducing your risk of microplastics exposure:

• choose plastic-free clothing and other goods
• opt for whole, minimally processed foods
• drinking filtered water

“At this point I think we’re in need of a clear intention to take responsibility for ourselves, and act in accordance with our individual unwillingness to be polluted by microplastics. This translates into decisions we make when we’re buying anything that’s shedding plastic particles on us that we do not need or want,” Leslie said.

“It’s about taking small steps to design these things into your life and you’ll start to feel a shift. It’s fun to experiment with saying ‘no’ if it’s something you previously believed you were obliged to own,” Leslie added.

Non-study author Tracey Woodruff, PhD, professor and director with Environmental Research and Translation for Health (EaRTH) Center at the University of California, San Francisco, told MNT the current evidence shows that policy makers must act as soon as possible to prevent human exposure to microplastics from increasing further.