How to Avoid Microplastics in Your Cat and Dog Products

Every generation, there's a material that becomes widely used, that later on is discovered to have immense, terrible health effects, but the damage will take lifetimes to undo. Asbestos. Lead. Today, we're facing a similar challenge, one that we don't even know yet how far-reaching or how damaging it could be.

Plastic, when it was initially invented, seemed like a miracle material. While technically plastics have existed since at least 1600 BCE with early rubber, what we think of as modern plastics were invented later. The earliest modern plastics were made back in 1907, with Bakelite; synthetic plastics rapidly became popular, and thousands of different types were created over the course of the following century and change.

It's light, it's strong, it resists corrosion, it resists water, it's easy to mold into any possible shape you could want, it's no wonder plastic took the world by storm.

It wasn't until much later that we realized one of the biggest problems with plastic compared to other materials: it doesn't break down. Wood is eaten by microbiotics and insects, and turns into nutrients for the soil. Metals corrode and rust away, returning to the minerals from which they came. Stone is all natural, can break down into sand, and re-accrete back into stone, on a long enough time scale.

Plastic, though, doesn't break down. Plastic items created in the earliest days of plastic production are no less plastics now. UV radiation can damage them, and the elements can break them apart, but they aren't broken up into their component carbons and other molecules.

Instead, they just get smaller. And smaller. And smaller. Until they're microscopic and become what we now know of as microplastics.

Microplastics: An Under-Investigated Harm

What even are microplastics?

Microplastics are technically any pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters in size. But that belies the reality; that microplastics get smaller and smaller, to the point of being invisible to the naked eye, and yet they end up everywhere.

Sometimes it was even intentional that they were that small! There was a time when microbeads, near-microscopic bits of plastic, were included in things like body soaps for a bit of abrasive scrubbing power.

Where Microplastics are Found

What do you think happens to those microbeads or other tiny bits of plastic when they wash down your drains? They go through the water treatment process and end up cast out along with other treatment waste, circulating into the environment.

Today, they're everywhere, and I do mean everywhere.

• There are microplastics floating in the ocean, hundreds of miles from shore.

• There are microplastics deep down in the ocean, miles under the sea, where people never go.

• Some of the dust in your house is made of microplastics.

• Microplastics have been discovered in remote caves that have been sealed for thousands of years.

• Microplastics have been found in the rain as it falls from the sky.

• Microplastics have been found in the food you eat.

Most concerningly of all, microplastics have been found in the body. Tiny enough microplastics called nanoplastics have been found in the blood, in the kidneys, in the lungs, in saliva, in the placenta of pregnant women, in breast milk, in the testes, and more. We are, all of us, filling up with microplastics.

The Harm of Microplastics

Why is this so much of a concern?

This isn't about sea turtles eating plastic bags instead of food because they look like jellyfish, or about raccoons with jars stuck on their heads. It goes much deeper and has the potential to be much, much worse.

When plastics get that small, they aren't just inert bits of plastic anymore. They can infiltrate individual cells, which can do all sorts of damage, even down to harming DNA. Any time a foreign substance infiltrates a cell, it can become a cancer risk, a reproductive risk, an oxidative risk, and more. It can alter your genes!

And it's not just in people. Microplastics are found in the bodies of our fur babies, as well. And why wouldn't they be? Our furry children breathe the same air, drink the same water and eat food from the same general sources that we do. We all live in the same environment, and that environment is increasingly full of microplastics.

What does this do?

The fact is, we barely know. It has only really been a few short years since we even discovered the existence of nanoplastics, let alone found them in human and animal tissues. We have very little idea what kinds of damage they're doing, now or over time.

But some of the things we have found are very concerning.

• Microplastics in birds and fish that have been studied seem to make them more vulnerable to infections.

• Cellular studies have indicated that microplastics are linked to increased inflammation and impaired immune system function.

• Animal studies have shown that the presence of microplastics is associated with impaired metabolic function, abnormal organ development, and cellular damage.

• People who had arterial plaque removed had a higher risk of heart attack and death when they had microplastics in that plaque than if they didn't.

One large-scale review conducted recently shows that exposure to microplastics could be linked to changes in reproductive function, in respiratory health, in digestive health, and could be responsible for increased rates of lung cancer and colon cancer. Colon cancer, in particular, is skyrocketing, especially amongst people aged 30-50, when previously it was considered a disease primarily related to age and was most common in ages 55+.

And as you probably know, when something has little study in humans, our fur babies are almost always left behind. What we know of what microplastics do in people is still a wealth compared to what we know about their effects in our pups and kits.

But when you learn that canine and feline cancers are on the rise, birth defects are growing, and more, well. The picture starts to look a little clearer even before the studies are conducted.

Awareness, Mitigation, and the Pet Supply Gap

Now, there's a pretty good chance you've heard a lot of this before. You might not have known just how widespread or how dangerous microplastics seem to be, but you've at least known about the problem.

You may have even started taking some steps to try to be part of the solution. The less you use plastic in your daily life, the less plastic is produced, which means less plastic waste. You can also recycle some plastics, though many aren't actually recyclable.

• Avoid nonstick cookware, as it's usually coated with a plastic that can flake off over time.

• Avoid plastic cookware or food storage, as it can leach plastics into your food.

• Avoid plastic bottles, which can release plastic molecules into your water.

• Filter your water to remove particles of plastic (and other harmful ingredients).

• Buy food and beverage items in glass containers instead of plastic containers.

• Use foil instead of plastic wrap for food storage.

There's also one major avenue that is very relevant today: fabrics.

Did you know that most fabrics today are some version of plastic? Those soft new t-shirts, that workout outfit, the elastic in your underwear, the stuffing in your winter coat; there's a good chance a lot of it is plastic. Polyester is a plastic, nylon is a plastic, acrylic fabrics are plastics, elastane and spandex are plastics, anything waterproofed is probably coated in a plastic.

In fact, doing your laundry is one of the worst possible things you can do for the creation of microplastics. Every wash of a plastic-containing garment can release hundreds of thousands of microfibers directly into the water system. Drying your laundry? You know the lint you need to clean from your dryer vent? A lot of that is also microplastics, and anything not caught in the filter is put out into the air.

Hidden Plastics in Cat and Dog Products

You cut back on plastic in your life, but what about for your fur baby? Maybe you buy from eco-friendly and no-plastic brands for your own food, but can you do the same for your dog food? You buy all-cotton or natural fiber bedding for your bed, but did you do the same for your cat's bed?

The reality is, it's very difficult to avoid plastics in pet items. Much like how pet foods have lax standards compared to human foods, pet items have lax standards (or no standards) compared to human items.

Think about all of the possible plastics your fur baby could interact with just in their own stuff.

• Plastic toys they chew on, with microplastics scraped off with every chomp.

• Plastic-containing fabrics for beds, blankets, and apparel.

• Plastic-based materials used for collars, harnesses, and leashes.

• Single-use plastic for waste bags to clean up after your dog.

• Plastic packaging for nearly everything you buy for them.

• Plastic-containing fabrics used for your furniture upholstery and cushioning.

Remember, too, it's not just about pet products; it's about the environment that pets live in. Microplastics in the water your pets drink get into their system. Microplastics that settle on their fur get into their system when they groom themselves. When they walk on something that has plastic in it, and it gets on their paws, and they lick their paws, that plastic gets into them. Even the household dust they breathe has plastics in it.

It's everywhere, and it's probably a bigger problem than anyone yet knows.

Why So Many Cat and Dog Products are Plastic

Why are so many pet products made of some kind of plastic?

It all goes back to the same reasons why plastics made such a splash in human society. Plastics are durable, they're resilient, and they're easy to turn into nearly any form imaginable. Above all, though, plastics are cheap.

Cheap items drive the market.

And times are tough! Income inequality, stagnant wages, decreasing savings, inflation and shrinkflation; it's all very hard on all of us.

It's hard to spend $20 on five all-wool cat toys when you can get a 20-pack of plastic toys on Amazon for $5. When that $15 disparity could go to food for you or your cat, the savings matter.

Another common and hidden form of plastic is actually in collars, harnesses, and leashes. Obviously, if they're made of nylon cordage, they're all plastic. But many pet parents want to avoid leather, under the impression that leather, as an animal product, is inhumane.

The problem is, "vegan leather" or pleather is plastic given the appearance of leather. Meanwhile, actual leather is using an animal byproduct that is going to otherwise go to waste, and is more often than not humanely gathered and locally made. Yeah, a real leather dog collar is more expensive than a nylon collar, but it's not plastic!

Fortunately, some pet products are coming around, and the market is equalizing. Chew and play ropes for dogs are usually made of cotton now, and it's hard to even find any that are made of synthetic materials anymore.

How to Avoid Plastics and Keep Your Fur Baby Safe

This is where we all come in. Pet parents are a massive market, and we have a lot of influence on what products do well and what don't. Many of these businesses making cheap plastic garbage for our beloved fur babies are operating on thin margins. If just 2-3% of us stop buying plastic junk and switch to organic, sustainable materials, many of those companies won't be able to keep going. The entire market will shift more towards plastic-free items.

So, what can you do, personally, to help push the market away from plastics and keep your fur babies as safe as possible along the way?

Cut down on the plastics in items you buy. The less plastic you buy, the less incentive there is for manufacturers to make more plastic items, and the more plastic can be avoided in the first place. It doesn't solve the issue of plastics already out there, but the less we produce, the better.

Avoid buying plastic toys, apparel, or other pet items. Whether it's a chew toy, bedding, or other pet items, switch to non-plastic items.

• Use metal water and food bowls instead of plastic bowls.

• Get a leather collar, harness, and leash for your fur baby.

• Switch to all-cotton or other natural fibers for bedding and clothing.

• Use pet brushes that have metal pins or natural boar bristles instead of plastic bristles.

• Try to buy from brands that use sustainable, non-plastic packaging.

Market pressure is one of the most effective tools we have in our collective arsenal.

Push to lobby your local representatives to increase regulations on plastics. State politicians can push to put pressure on the FDA or the CPB, or push legislation to try to regulate pet items to a higher standard. They can also push to increase funding to study the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics, so we can get a better idea of just how bad they are, and accelerate the move to find solutions.

Filter the water you and your fur babies drink. A lot of microplastics are carried in water, but there are a lot of very effective water filters out there. Whether you get pitcher filters, sink filters, or whole-house filtering systems, filtering the water you and your fur baby drink will go a long way.

Regularly clean, vacuum, and remove dust from your environment. One of the most overlooked sources of environmental microplastics is household dust. A lot of dust is organic material (hair, skin cells, and the like), but a lot of it is microfibers shed from clothing, too. Either way, cleaning up that dust removes all of that stuff from your environment. You won't stir it up when you move around, and your pets won't roll in it and lick it off themselves.

Get an indoor air filter to remove plastic-containing dust from the air. Air filters are relatively cheap and last for months. A good HEPA filter can remove a ton of the dust and microplastic debris that you would normally find invisible. Don't forget to change your furnace filter, too!

Recycle the plastics you can't avoid. Plastic recycling has a lot of flaws, but every bit of plastic that ends up in a recycling plant instead of a landfill or discarded into the environment is a benefit. Recycled and reused plastics reduce the need to produce virgin plastics, and less plastic in the environment means less microplastics in the air, water, and food we all consume.

Do laundry, especially with synthetic fabrics, the right way. If you can't fully switch to organic fabrics, at least do what you can to properly launder your synthetic fabrics. Do laundry less often. When you do laundry, run a gentle cycle and use cold water instead of hot water to reduce the breakdown of plastic materials. Air-dry fabric items instead of using a dryer. Spot-clean by hand instead of running a full wash cycle when possible.

Unfortunately, it's impossible at this point to fully protect ourselves and our fur babies from microplastics. They're too present in everything. What we can do, though, is cut back in any way we can. The sooner we can collectively address the problem, the sooner we can find solutions and move past this era of human damage.