When I received my PlasticTox blood screen, I half expected a clean report. After all, I’m someone who filters water, avoids processed food, and has spent years championing prevention through functional medicine. Yet there it was — microplastics detected in my blood.
Just two particles, both under 10 microns — technically “low,” but let’s be honest, the only acceptable level is zero. These minuscule pieces are small enough to cross the blood–brain barrier, which means they can find their way into the very organ I’ve devoted my professional life to protecting.
As someone who runs CogMission, a clinic dedicated to brain health and cognitive resilience, this discovery hit differently. It’s one thing to talk about invisible toxins in theory — it’s another to find them in your own bloodstream.
The Plastic Problem We Can’t See
Microplastics are no longer an abstract environmental issue. In the past year, scientists have detected them in human brains, lungs, placentas, and even testicular tissue. A 2024 study showed that microplastics can reach the brain within hours of exposure, triggering inflammation and oxidative stress — the very same mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
We are, quite literally, living in a plastic age. And our biology is starting to show it.
How They Get In
The PlasticTox analysis explains that the tiniest particles (those found in my sample) typically enter through inhalation. They’re airborne, invisible, and everywhere: from synthetic clothing fibres, car tyres, household dust, and packaging.
Mid-sized particles tend to come through food and drink — bottled water, takeaway containers, or even tea bags. The larger fragments are too big to cross our body’s natural barriers, but they can appear through other routes such as medical exposure.
It’s a sobering thought: even when we think we’re living “clean,” plastics still find a way in.
Plastic and the Brain
Research is now uncovering the alarming ability of microplastics to accumulate in the brain. Once there, they don’t just sit quietly — they can trigger immune responses, interfere with neurotransmission, and potentially alter the delicate chemistry that keeps our minds sharp and balanced.
At CogMission, we often see patients with inflammation-driven cognitive decline. We talk about metals, moulds, and oxidative stress — but microplastics may be the next major piece of that puzzle.
My Next Steps
Even though my results are relatively low, I see them as an early warning light. My focus now is to prevent further accumulation and support my body’s ability to detoxify naturally.
- Air quality: I’ve added an air purifier in my bedroom and workspace. Indoor air can carry synthetic fibres from carpets, clothes, and even printer dust.
- Filtered water: Reverse osmosis and activated carbon filters help reduce plastic fragments and other contaminants.
- Avoiding heat + plastic: Especially for food storage and hot drinks — heat dramatically increases leaching.
- Sweating + hydration: Infrared sauna, movement, and hydration help the body’s natural elimination systems.
- Nutrient support: Antioxidants like glutathione, vitamin C, and fibre-based binders help escort out what doesn’t belong.
These aren’t dramatic steps, but small, consistent choices that keep the load low — for my brain, my body, and the planet.
Taking Stock
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: plastic isn’t just around us anymore — it’s within us.
This isn’t a cause for panic but for awareness. The first step is noticing — noticing the water you drink, the air you breathe, the packaging you use, the clothes you wear.
At CogMission, we’re passionate about prevention, and this experience reminded me that brain health isn’t just about memory or mood — it’s about the micro-environments that shape us every day.
So, take stock. Look around your home, your habits, your daily routines.
The goal isn’t perfection — it’s consciousness. Because what we don’t see can still change everything.
| Charmaine Shepherd IFMCP MBAcC BSc Biomed |