People eat a credit card's weight of plastic particles each week, researchers say

KABC logo
Thursday, June 13, 2019
People eat a credit card's weight of plastic particles each week
Researchers say people are eating 5 grams of microplastic each week, found in food and water.

Did you know you could be swallowing a credit card's weight in plastic every week?

According to a new study, people ingest an average of 5 grams of microplastics, which are particles smaller than 5 millimeters.

This kind of contamination is found in food and drinks like water, beer, shellfish and salt.

Researchers say the particles can come from everyday products like microbeads in toothpaste and artificial clothing fibers.