I am busy and don't have time to research all of the ways corporations have poisoned us.
What are some good rules on how to avoid microplastics?
Eat local foods? Avoid processed foods? Walk/bike? Use dry soaps? Don't use any take away containers? Avoid walking near busy roads? Use cotton/wool for all clothing?
The main ways you're exposed to microplastics is through ingestion and breathing it in.
To limit ingestion, yes the main thing to do is to avoid food and drink that comes in plastic containers. Reducing your consumption of processed foods will help with this. Eating mostly produce is a simpler way to approach this. Even though produce may often be transported in plastic, if you wash it before consumption you'll have done pretty well. Ideally you would also have a reverse osmosis filter at home, as your water probably has microplastics as well (but less than bottled water!).
To limit breathing it in, yes avoid frequent exposure to busy roads. They are often full of tire dust that is getting kicked up. This is cumulative, though. Walking by a busy street once is no big deal. Walking along one twice a day may add up.
Overall, however, to address microplastics we will have to control the production of plastics and the use of plastics in the first place. For example, there would be a lot less tire dust if we used more rail to get around. And there would be less need for bottled water if water fountains were ubiquitous and so were standardized stainless steel water bottles. In addition, we could use biodegradable plastics for more packaging so that they don't accumulate in bodies or the environment.
But this last point, despite being the only real solution, will literally require the overthrow of capitalism. I'm for this and am happy to talk about it more, but it is a lot.
I read an article not that long ago that stated that they're in men's testicles and women's ovaries. In other words, they have become a part of your physical body and will become a part of the bodies of the next generation (likely several generations). They're unavoidable.
You can't completely avoid them, but avoiding plastic food/drink containers is an easy thing to do. Good for the environment too, not just your health.
Short answer: very simple
Avoid plastic
You buy bottled water?
That has Microplastics.
You buy or store food in plastic?
Microplastics..
Use plastic straws?
Welp, Microplastics
Etc...
Basically it's difficult to avoid it since we use plastic almost everywhere daily, but not impossible.
Microplastics have also been found in our drinking water. So maybe stop drinking water altogether.
I can confirm that if you stop drinking water, in 72 hours or so you won't have to worry about microplastics.
Basically it's difficult to avoid it since we use plastic almost everywhere daily, but not impossible.
Car tires and brake pads produce micro plastics in our water system. It's probably impossible on an individual basis to completely avoid them.
Become a communist and start advocating for workers to run the economy because we wouldn't fuck ourselves over like capitalists will.
Read a material science book. Then think about exposure anytime you see plastic.
