Microplastics have been called the new sugar, just as ubiquitous and just as bad for your health.
Microplastics are showing up everywhere.
From the deepest ocean trenches to the air we breathe. In fact, there are now more microplastics drifting in our seas than stars in the Milky Way. This isn’t only an ocean issue, it’s a human one.
These tiny fragments have worked their way into our food, our water, and yes, our bodies. Scientists are starting to ask serious questions about what that means for our long-term health.
How did we get here?
Plastic doesn’t just vanish when we’re done using it. Sunlight, heat, and friction slowly break down bottles, packaging, fabrics, and tyres into microscopic pieces. These pieces drift through the air, wash into rivers and oceans, and end up in the soil, our food, and the water we drink.
Why it matters for your health
Microplastics have been found in blood, lungs, placenta, breast milk, even brain tissue. Top medical journal, The Lancet calls plastic pollution a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger to human and planetary health.”
A recent study by scientists at the University of New Mexico found that:
🧠 Our Brains are now 0.5% Plastic.
🥄This is equivalent to an entire plastic spoon.
📈There has been a 50% increase in brain plastic levels from 2016-2024.
7 Simple Swaps to Lower Your Microplastic Load
Skip single-use plastic bottles
One liter can have hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles. A stainless steel, reusable bottle like Ocean Bottle , keeps your water clean and the ocean cleaner.Filter your tap water
Look for a home filter certified to reduce microplastics. It works quietly in the background, doing the heavy lifting for you. We love Water2 .Choose natural fabrics
Cotton, wool, hemp, and linen shed far fewer fibres than synthetics. If you wear polyester or nylon, wash them in a microfibre-catching laundry bag .Ditch plastic tea bags
Go old-school with loose-leaf tea in your nanna’s tea pot, or easier still paper-based tea bags, without the side of microplastics. We love Pukka tea bags for a plastic-free brew.Clean cooking
Microwaving plastic containers can release more particles. Opt for wooden utensils, beeswax wraps over clingfilm or store in glass jars.Cut down on takeaway packaging
Bring your own stainless steel container - more cafés are on board than you think.Vacuum and dust often
A lot of microplastics at home come from dust. A vacuum with a HEPA filter helps trap them before they end up in your lungs.
A Healthier Future - For You and the Ocean
This isn’t about fear. It’s about choice. Every refill in your Ocean Bottle keeps one more plastic bottle out of circulation, reduces ocean-bound waste, and helps you sip cleaner.
Small swaps today ripple into bigger change, for your health, for our ocean, and for the generations coming after us.
