The September BJGP is right to highlight ways general practice can lead the way in healthcare sustainability but overlooks health risks from microplastics. These particles (less than 5 mm in diameter) are formed as plastics degrade and have become ubiquitous: in food, water, air, and even our brains. Plastic waste in primary care likely arises from packaging, prescription medicines, textiles, and cleaning products. While studies confirm microplastic exposure in hospitals (for example, operating theatres1), further research is urgently required to understand risk in general practice and how this can be mitigated.
The impact of microplastic ingestion on health is unknown. Emerging evidence links microplastics to inflammation, infection, and disease, for example, promoting H. pylori infection2 and disrupting lipid metabolism.3 Higher quantities of microplastics are present in the faeces of patients with inflammatory bowel disease4 and in the carotid plaques of patients at higher risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and death.5 These examples suggest that the consequences of microplastics are all likely to end up at the GP door.
GPs are powerful role models for their communities, especially in lifestyle advice. They also influence government and pharmacy policy. General practice must adopt the precautionary principle with regard to microplastics and take every opportunity to reduce risk. As the current MRCGP curriculum makes no mention of microplastics, we call for its urgent inclusion as an emerging sustainability and public health issue. This is necessary to support new GPs in discussing microplastic exposure with patients and adopting practical measures to reduce risk in clinical practice, for example, through promoting reusable glass or ceramic equipment.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2025
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