Plastic Consumption: How Much Do We Ingest Yearly?

Plastic is everywhere. It's in the soil, the air, the sea, and our food. Humans are addicted to this nearly indestructible material, producing over 380 million tons of it every year. But how much plastic are we actually consuming? The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week. That's the equivalent of 12 plastic bags a year. And it's not just in our food – we're also breathing in microplastic particles, with an estimated 78,000 to 211,000 particles entering our bodies annually through food, drink, and air.

Plastic in food and drink

Plastic is everywhere, from the soil to the sea, and it's no surprise that it's in our food and drink too. The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week, according to previous estimates. New studies have shown that plastic is turning up in unexpected places.

Research has shown that the average person eats, drinks and breathes between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year, with bottled water being the biggest known source of microplastics entering our bodies. Beer has the second-highest number of microplastics, at 32.

Estimations of the total mass of ingested microplastics correspond to 50 plastic bags per year, or one credit card per week. This is based on an analysis that predicts a total ingested mass of 0.1-5g of microplastics per week.

The proliferation of plastic products in recent decades has been extraordinary. We are producing over 380 million tons of plastic every year, and some reports indicate that up to 50% of that is for single-use purposes. It’s estimated that more than 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.

Plastic in the air

Plastic is everywhere: in the soil, in the air, in the sea and in our food. Humans are addicted to this nearly indestructible material, producing over 380 million tons of plastic every year, with some reports indicating that up to 50% of that is for single-use purposes.

The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week, according to previous estimates. New studies have shown that this plastic often shows up in places you might not expect.

Research entitled 'Human Consumption of Microplastics' by Cox et al. published in Environmental Science & Technology presents an analysis of 26 studies from around the world and calculates the average amount of microplastics found in common consumables. The average person eats, drinks and breathes between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year, and that is considered an underestimate. The biggest known source of microplastic which enters our bodies is bottled water. Based on four separate studies, the average number of particles per litre is 94. Beer has the second highest number, at 32.

Estimations of the total mass of ingested microplastic particles correspond to 50 plastic bags per year, one credit card per week, or a median value of 4.1 μg/week for adults.

Plastic in the soil

Plastic is everywhere. It's in the soil, in the air, in the sea, and in our food. Humans are addicted to this nearly indestructible material, producing over 380 million tons of it every year. Some reports indicate that up to 50% of this is for single-use purposes, used for just a few moments, but on the planet for at least several hundred years.

It's no surprise, then, that we're consuming a lot of plastic. The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week, and that's not even counting the plastic we breathe in. In total, it's estimated that the average person eats, drinks, and breathes between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year, and that's considered an underestimate. Some studies have even suggested that the typical person swallows hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles annually, the equivalent of up to 12 plastic bags a year.

The biggest known source of microplastics entering our bodies is bottled water. Based on four separate studies, the average number of particles per litre is 94. Beer is second, with 32 particles per litre.

With plastic so prevalent in our environment and our diets, it's clear that we need to take action to reduce our consumption and find more sustainable alternatives.

Plastic in the sea

Plastic is everywhere, in the soil, in the air, in the sea and in our food. Humans produce over 380 million tons of plastic every year, and some reports indicate that up to 50% of that is for single-use purposes. It is estimated that more than 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.

The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week. This is the equivalent of 12 plastic bags a year. Some studies suggest that the average person swallows hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles annually, with one study suggesting that the average person eats, drinks and breathes between 78,000 and 211,000 microplastic particles every year.

The biggest known source of microplastic which enters our bodies is bottled water. Based on four separate studies, the average number of particles per litre is 94. Beer has the second highest number, at 32.

The proliferation of plastic products in the last several decades has been extraordinary. Humans are addicted to this nearly indestructible material.

Plastic in bottled water

The average person consumes a credit card's worth of microscopic plastic particles every week. It is estimated that an adult could be consuming the equivalent of up to 12 plastic bags a year.

Bottled water is the biggest known source of microplastics entering our bodies. Based on four separate studies, the average number of particles per litre is 94. Beer has the second highest number, at 32.

The proliferation of plastic products in the last several decades has been extraordinary. We are producing over 380 million tons of plastic every year, and some reports indicate that up to 50% of that is for single-use purposes. It’s estimated that more than 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.

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