Small and Terrible: The Unseen Threat Inside Us

Have you noticed that every time you slice food on a plastic chopping board, tiny fragments may be scraped off by your knife? You might already be carrying more of these particles in your body than you think—and they are not harmless.

In most kitchens, plastic is part of the routine—cutting boards, containers, utensils. It’s practical, lightweight, and easy to clean. But with every slice and scrape, something much smaller than we expect may be mixing into our food.

These are microplastics—tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters in size, often invisible to the naked eye. Some are manufactured that way, but most come from the breakdown of larger plastics. Every day use, heat, and friction gradually wear plastic down into fragments that don’t simply disappear.

For a long time, microplastics were seen as an environmental issue, mostly affecting oceans and marine life. But reports from GMA News Online have highlighted that the concern now goes beyond the environment. Scientists have found microplastics in drinking water, salt, seafood, and even in the air we breathe. More recently, they have also been detected inside the human body—in blood, lungs, and even the placenta.

That shift—from outside the body to inside — has pushed researchers to take a closer look.

So far, the full impact on human health is still being studied. However, scientists point to two key concerns. First, plastics contain chemical additives such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, which are known to interfere with hormone function. Second, the particles themselves can remain in the body, where they may cause irritation or inflammation over time.

Local research in the Philippines reinforces how widespread the issue has become. A study funded by the Department of Science and Technology–National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP), led by Dr. Rey Capangpangan of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental, found microplastics in farmed milkfish (bangus), showing how these particles can enter the food chain.

Capangpangan emphasized the need for further investigation, stressing the importance of standardized methods to fully understand the toxicity of microplastics and their possible effects on human health.

What makes microplastics difficult to manage is how ordinary their sources are. They can come from food packaging, synthetic clothing, bottled water, and even from something as simple as a plastic chopping board. In other words, exposure doesn’t come from a single source; it comes from daily life itself.

At the same time, science and technology are helping uncover the scale of the problem. Advanced tools now allow researchers to detect particles at microscopic levels, making it clear that microplastics are not rare—they are widespread.

While completely avoiding them isn’t realistic, reducing exposure is possible. Using alternatives like wooden or glass kitchenware, cutting back on single-use plastics, and being mindful of food storage are small but practical steps.

However, not all alternatives are entirely free from concern. According to a study conducted by France’s food safety agency (ANSES), some glass-bottled beverages were found to contain higher levels of microplastics than plastic bottles. Researchers explained that these particles likely came not from the glass itself, but from bottle caps and the manufacturing or handling process. This highlights an important point: switching materials does not always guarantee complete elimination of microplastic exposure.

Microplastics may be tiny, but they raise a bigger question about the materials we rely on every day. What once made life easier is now being examined more closely—not because it is immediately dangerous, but because its long-term effects are still unknown.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that are hardest to ignore.