In 2024, Cheng Fang and a team from the University of Newcastle, Australia, studied micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) released from self-sealing Ziploc bags used for food storage. Using scanning electron microscopy and Raman imaging, they found that opening and closing bags creates friction, releasing thousands of MNPs per use, ranging from hundreds of nanometers to millimeters.

A 2025 pooled cohort study involving 5,306 children from Australia, the U.S., and Canada, published in Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, found that exposure to plastic-derived chemicals before age 5—such as phthalates and BPA—was linked to significantly higher rates of asthma and wheezing in childhood.

A 2025 French study from ANSES found that glass-bottled beverages—like soda, lemonade, iced tea, and beer—contain around 100 microplastic particles per liter, which is 5 to 50 times more than plastic or metal bottles.

A 2025 UCLA pilot study led by Sanjay Mohanty found that a single piece of chewing gum can release between 100 to over 600 microplastic particles per gram, which means a large stick may shed up to 3,000 fragments into your saliva during chewing.

A 2025 clinical study found that over half of carotid artery plaques removed during surgery contained microplastics—and their presence was linked to a fourfold increase in the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death.