News
Is the Plastic in Your Kitchen Harmful?
Friday, May 30, 2025
Plastic containers and utensils are staples in many kitchens—but could they be affecting your health?
Plastics, often seen as a single material, are actually made from many different polymers, each with a unique chemical makeup. They contain different chemical additives like dyes, plasticizers, and flame retardants. As these plastics interact with microbes and environmental chemicals, the risk to human health becomes more complex.
One of the most common ways people are exposed to plastics is in the kitchen:
- Black plastic spatulas and other utensils may contain harmful chemicals picked up when recycled from electronic waste.
- Plastic cutting boards shed tiny fragments of varying shapes and sizes that can be ingested.
- Plastic containers can leach chemicals when heated in the microwave.
What Experts Want You to Know About Microplastics
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Microbiologist Jacques Robert, PhD, told The New York Times (May 20) that his research shows tadpoles excreted about 60 percent to 70 percent of the microplastics they were fed. His studies also suggest that microplastics may weaken the immune system. While animal studies don’t always translate directly to humans, other research indicates that microplastics not excreted can enter the bloodstream and migrate to organs like the liver and brain.
Read More: What Experts Want You to Know About Microplastics10 small things neurologists wish you’d do for your brain
Thursday, April 3, 2025
There’s growing research linking air pollution exposure to cognitive decline; scientists think very fine, inhalable particles in the air could trigger chemical changes once they reach the brain, says Deborah Cory-Slechta, a professor of environmental medicine and of neuroscience. She adds that wearing an N95 or surgical mask and using indoor air filters on days when air quality is worse (including because of wildfire smoke) can minimize your exposure.
Read More: 10 small things neurologists wish you’d do for your brain70 countries have banned this pesticide. It’s still for sale in the US
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
The Washington Post, January 22
“The data is the data,” says Deborah Cory-Slechta, a professor of environmental medicine and of neuroscience. She says paraquat exposure is associated with the loss of dopamine neurons, which can cause slow and uncoordinated movements, tremors, and difficulty communicating, all of which are consistent with Parkinson’s disease.
“The evidence is very strong, both based on animal studies and on epidemiological evidence the fact that it kills dopamine neurons,” she said.