Toddlers breathing in 'microplastics from your carpet' at alarming rate, warn scientists

A new study has issued a warning over microplastics, claiming that toddlers are breathing them in at a worrying rate, with a staggering 60% of debris being 'fibres' sourced from carpets, textiles and domestic fabrics

Microplastics are omnipresent, contaminating our oceans, beaches, and even the food we eat. And now, scientists have issued a new warning about these tiny pollutants, revealing that toddlers are inhaling them at a worrying rate.

The Birmingham University research aimed to pinpoint the primary sources of microplastics in our environment by analysing samples from 30 homes and 30 workplaces throughout the city. Astonishingly, more than 60% of the particles discovered were 'fibres' likely originating from carpets, textiles, and household fabrics.

The study highlighted another particularly concerning finding too: toddlers are at greater risk as they inhale more microplastics from indoor air than adults, posing a potential threat to their still-developing immune and nervous systems. "The mean concentration of MPs in homes was significantly higher than that in the studied workplaces," the experts wrote.

"This was mainly attributed to carpeted floors in all the sampled homes, while 13 of the studied workplaces were uncarpeted....On a body weight basis, toddlers were exposed to more MPs via inhalation of indoor air than adults, which raises concern over the potential risk to this vulnerable group with incompletely developed immune and nervous systems."

Microplastics, typically less than 5mm in size, are found in countless everyday products like seafood, fish, bottled water, and even beer. In 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated there was 'limited evidence' to suggest these microplastics were negatively impacting our health, though emerging research is challenging this view.

This includes a 2024 Harvard University study that discovered a connection between microplastic consumption and an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The university explained: "When researchers tested the plaque removed from the neck arteries of 257 people, they found tiny particles of plastic — mostly polyethylene but also polyvinyl chloride — in 58% of the people.

"After nearly three years, the rate of heart attack, stroke, and death was 4.5 times higher in people with microplastics in their plaque than those without."

The Birmingham team echoed similar health concerns about microplastics, but recognised there are 'major knowledge gaps in scientific understanding' of them. They added: "[Microplastics] have proven capacity to adsorb various toxic chemicals from their surrounding environment, including hydrophobic organic pollutants and heavy metals. This has raised concern over threats to human health from exposure to MPs.

"Several studies have reported human absorption and accumulation of MPs, particularly in the smaller size range <50 μm, in vital tissues and organs including blood, ovaries, testes, placenta, spleen, liver, colon, and lungs. However, according to the WHO, there is as yet limited evidence to suggest MPs can elicit significant adverse effects on human health."

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