3 Takeaways™ The Hidden Plastic Inside Us (And Why It’s Rising Fast) (#292)
Mar 10, 2026
Dr. Matthew Campen, a toxicologist at the University of New Mexico who studies micro- and nanoplastics in human tissues. He explains what micro- and nanoplastics are. He describes a new method that finds tiny plastics and reports plastics in brain samples. He explores why brains may accumulate plastics, links to rising plastic production, likely food sources, and policy and personal response options.
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New Measurement Reveals Invisible Nanoplastics
- Dr. Matthew Campen's team used pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry to detect nanoplastics too small for microscope-based methods.
- This cumulative chemical method lets researchers compare total plastic burden across tissues and link it to health outcomes.
Brain Plastics Are Rising With Production
- Campen found microplastics in every brain tested and a 50% increase in brain plastics between 2016 and 2024.
- He links the rise to exponential global plastic production and decades-long delays from manufacture to nanoplastic formation.
Why The Brain Accumulates More Plastics
- The brain had the highest concentrations likely because it receives ~30% of blood flow and has weaker clearance via the glymphatic system.
- Plastics delivered in circulation can accumulate more in the brain than in liver or kidney which clear toxins better.