In samples collected between January and March 2024, the median level reached 4,917 micrograms per gram—roughly the weight of four to five paper clips of plastic per kilogram of brain tissue.

Polyethylene — a plastic polymer used to make things such as plastic bags, milk jugs, shampoo bottles, etc. — was the most common microplastic found in the brain. It comprised 75% of the ...

In 2016, humanity had already discarded enough plastic to wrap the entire Earth in cling wrap, and in the intervening years, that number has increased by about 50%.

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In the most extreme case, the researchers estimated the brain was 0.48% plastic, meaning the particles added up to a couple of grams — the weight of a typical plastic spoon.