You have probably heard about the Texas Attorney General investigating Lululemon to see if the company mislead consumers about the safety of their active wear. Lululemon responded that they no longer use the chemicals in question and these were phased out in 2024. This means prior to 2024 there were chemicals in their active wear. This isn’t about Lululemon at all as so many other athletic clothing lines use the same type of fabrics and what about all the other ways we are exposed to chemicals??
You know me… this led me down a path of what happens if you wear something with these chemicals, what other areas of exposure do we have and why is this so important.
Do your plastic bottles put you at risk?
Are you better buying drinks in glass bottles?
If you do have athletic wear are there some things you can do to make them safer outside of throwing everything away?
Spoiler alert, this is rather disturbing and just researching this has prompted me to make more changes.
READ ON…. to learn about these chemicals and microplastics and what the risks they cause and most importantly, what to do about them.
First, let’s introduce the chemicals involved. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are the ones specifically targeted with the Lululemon investigation but there are so many more involved. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethacrylate (PMMA), and polyurethane (PU) are some examples. However, polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene are the three most commonly used ones and are typically found in a countless number of household and personal care products, cosmetic products, toothpaste, plastic food containers, clothing, contaminated seafood, milk, bottled water and, and, and…. Collectively, not only is there a chemical concern but how these products breakdown into something called microplastics is really raising some much needed attention.
The term microplastics as well as nanoplastics refer to the size of the particles which is very important because they can enter our bodies simply because they are so tiny. They enter the human body through the respiratory system via inhalation, the digestive tract via consumption of contaminated food and water, or penetration through the skin via cosmetics and clothes contact.
Studies looking at microplastics in humans have found it in human samples from the lungs, breast milk, liver, spleen, placenta, blood, sputum, colon, saliva, faces, urine, testis, and semen!
It is estimated that we consume up to 5 grams of microplastics a week which is about the equivalent of a credit card. Infants are at higher exposure risk than adults!
A study looking at 159 tap water samples showed 81% of them had microplastics. While that sounds like a lot, when looking at the amount of microplastics in tap water versus bottled water you will be surprised that the tap water had less! Now, let’s take plastic water bottles vs water in glass bottles. A study found that glass bottles of soda, iced tea, beer, and lemonade contained up to 50 times higher the amount of microplastics than the number detected in plastic bottles or cans. Turns out the lids on the glass bottles spew the plastics into the container when they make the product and then every time you open and close the lid you get more dumped in the bottle.
Let’s look at the three main exposure surfaces for our bodies:
Lungs:
Airborne particles can enter the lungs which has a very thin tissue barrier allowing these particles to cross over into our system. Sources include clothing, dried sludge, agricultural residues, and tire rubber dispersed due to mechanical wear during driving.
Skin:
Particles can infiltrate the body thru the sweat glands, hair follicles, or skin injuries. Sources include clothing and cosmetics/body products.
Gut:
Particles enter the system crossing the gut barrier from food and water sources.
Reports are linking microplastics to the following health issues:
- Skin issues: dermatitis, allergic reactions
- Breathing issues, coughing
- Lung cancer
- Colorectal cancer – studies of people who worked in plants had higher incidence
- Pancreatic cancer – studies of people who worked in plastic making plants
- Inflammatory bowel disease – studies show higher amounts of plastics in people with IBD
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Neurological issues
- Food sensitivities
- Decreased sperm counts
- Reproductive failure – decreased fertility
- Bone loss surround a prosthesis (ex: after hip replacement surgery)
- And so much more….
Let’s do something about this…
- Store your foods in glass containers and if possible, use glass lids. I am so bummed about this because I tossed out the plastic containers years ago but my glass containers all have plastic lids.
- Do not heat any food item in a plastic container.
- Drink from real glasses, not plastic cups.
- If you have a glass water bottle, choose one with a stainless steel or bamboo lid.
- Beverages purchased in glass water bottles with plastic lids – rinse the lid off prior to opening as this has been shown to decrease contamination.
- Limit drinking from plastic water bottles and don’t reuse them.
- Keep all plastic bottles out of the heat – it causes more leaching into the water.
- Clothing:
- Do not dry athletic clothing- hang them up.
- Wash in cold, shorter cycles
- Opt for natural fibers like modal (made from bamboo), cotton and silk
- Use a filtration system for your drinking water. Preliminary studies are not indicating significant absorption thru the skin with exposure to contaminated water like a shower for short periods of time.
We will be doing some testing for microplastics soon as there are some labs available that can quantify how much we have in our bodies. Even better, there is a supplement that can be used to decrease this amount! Stay tuned and call us if you would like to get tested!
Small steps go a long way so if you aren’t focusing on decreasing your microplastics then it is time to do so!
To your health,
Laura
