Migration of Metals from Microplastics into Simulated Gastric Fluid: The Role of Particle Size

Summary

This study found that when microplastics mix with fluid similar to what's in your stomach, they can leach out metals — and smaller plastic particles release more metals than bigger ones. This matters because as plastics break down into tinier pieces in the environment, they may become more likely to release potentially harmful metals into our bodies when we accidentally eat them (which happens more often than you'd think, through food, water, and packaging).