Seeking a solution to this escalating dispute, 30 scientists from 20 research institutions across the world proposed a new framework on Tuesday for evaluating microplastic research. It is also "very likely" that we are regularly ingesting microplastics from air and food, Imperial College London researcher Leon Barron told AFP. Some scientists were sceptical because this would require the particles to cross the powerful defences of the blood-brain barrier. The proposal requires scientists and journal articles to be transparent about their research, release all the raw data and include quality-control measures. But precision is important—to determine whether microplastics are harmful for our health, researchers need to know just how much of them is in our bodies.

Source: Philippine Star January 28, 2026 00:33 UTC