You are, right now, FULL OF PLASTIC. Not metaphorically. Literally.

This episode takes on the glittery, invisible menace hiding in your bloodstream, your lungs, your placenta, and, yes, your brain: microplastics. From the toothpaste scrubbers banned a decade ago to the metalized glitter that replaced them (thanks for nothing, craft industry), this episode traces how plastic went from 'convenient packaging' to 'permanent roommate in your carotid artery.' And why your brain is a five-star resort for nanoplastics. It also details the most common ways that these particles get into your body. For example, it turns out you're eating about a credit card's worth of plastic a week. This isn't a panic episode. It's also not a 'don't worry about it' episode. It's a 'here's what the most recent scientific literature says, here's what's still unknown, and here's what you can actually do about it' episode. No $300 detox products required, just information, a plan, and maybe a small vendetta against glitter.

Click here for key references (including note about a disputed reference):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J4wg9KT-dSKBFxOYCy_7N_mhVyaUUvF7xCgoa0ZuXcY/preview

Topics covered in this episode

Microplastics
Nanoplastics
Primary microplastics
Accidental microplastics
Plastic degradation and photo-degradation
Plastic glitter and microplastic pollution
Single-use plastics
Synthetic clothing and microfiber shedding
PET and plastic fibers
Washing machines and microfiber pollution
Tire wear and microplastic pollution
Wastewater treatment and microplastics
Microplastics in the environment
Microplastics in the human body
Microplastics in blood and organs
Microplastics in the brain
Microplastics in breast milk and placenta
Microplastics in food and drinking water
Bottled water and microplastics
Microplastic inhalation
Indoor microplastic exposure
Dermal exposure to microplastics
Blood-brain barrier and nanoplastics
Microplastics and chemical leaching
Microplastics and environmental contaminants
Microplastics and heavy metals
Microplastics and pesticides
Microplastics and cardiovascular health
Microplastics in arterial plaque
Inflammation and oxidative stress
Microplastics and endothelial cells
Microplastics and gene signaling
Microplastics and vascular disease
Microplastics dose-response
Unknowns in microplastic health research
Reducing microplastic exposure
Water filters and microplastics
Plastic food containers and microwave heating
Glass and ceramic food containers
Microfiber filters for washing machines
Natural fiber clothing
Indoor air and microplastics
HEPA filters and microplastics

Microplastic detox products
Microplastics in marine food webs
Trophic transfer of microplastics
Microplastics in fish
Microplastics in agricultural soil
Atmospheric deposition of microplastics
Microplastics and earthworms
Microplastics and soil microbes
Microplastics and food production
Plastic production and environmental pollution
Global plastics treaty
Plastic recycling and microplastic pollution

That dark filling in the back of your mouth your dentist has been calling a "silver filling"? It's about 50% mercury. Half. That makes your filling a toxic-metal cocktail with a side of tooth.

This episode covers the 190-year saga of dental amalgam: where it came from, why mercury was used in the first place, and whether the stuff slowly seeping out of your fillings every time you chew, grind, or sip hot coffee is actually something to worry about. We get into the original Amalgam War of 1845, the hat-maker-mercury-madness connection (yes, the Mad Hatter was a documentary), how mercury moves through your body, including your brain, who's at risk, what the FDA says versus what the EU just banned, and what you should do about the fillings already in your mouth.

All grounded in peer-reviewed science. None of it is designed to scare you into anything. Because at the end of the day, those fillings are probably not going to kill you. Probably.

For a link to key references, click:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UDrge6rVyqrweOb-jQ0rUBALvwxhgNBsl1CDUHhtjAI/preview

Topics covered in this episode
Dental amalgam and mercury exposureSilver fillingsMercury released from dental fillings
Mercury in the brain
Mercury toxicity
Mercury vapor
Dental amalgam safety FDA recommendations Dental amalgam removal Genetic susceptibility to mercury Environmental and public health
The Nun Study
Composite resin fillings
Gold fillings
Ceramic Fillings
Ionomer Fillings

Welcome back to Toxic Earth: The Podcast, where everyday objects get the environmental‑health roast they deserve. Today’s villain… The receipt: The tiny slip of thermal paper quietly dosing you with endocrine disruptors every time you touch it. Thermal paper isn’t just paper. It’s a chemical sandwich. BPA (or its equally shady cousin BPS) sits right on the surface, ready to hop into your skin in seconds. Add leuco dyes, sensitizers, and stabilizers, and you’ve got a four‑ingredient endocrine‑disruptor cocktail disguised as a grocery total. And, cashiers overwhelmingly women, disproportionately women of color, and mostly low‑income workers handle thousands of receipts a week. OSHA doesn’t require disclosure. Employers don’t warn them. And the receipts keep printing. This is about environmental racism. This is about environmental justice. Full stop.

For key references, click:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i19goB105W1rKi9kwB3ns02uSPp9vXJPbUvE-6qbHxU/preview

Topics covered in this episode

BPA (Bisphenol A), BPS (Bisphenol S)

BPA on thermal receipt paper

BPS on thermal receipt paper

Thermal paper and chemical exposure

Endocrine disruptors

Xenoestrogens

BPA skin absorption

Receipt paper and dermal exposure

Hand sanitizer and BPA absorption

Leuco dyes, Crystal Violet Lactone

Thermal paper chemicals

Non-monotonic dose-response

Endocrine disruption and toxicology

BPA and reproductive health, developmental health, thyroid disruption, metabolic health, brain development

Cashier occupational exposure

Workplace chemical exposure

Phenol-free receipt paper

BPA-free receipts

California Proposition 65

Cumulative BPA exposure

Reducing exposure to BPA and BPS

Digital and email receipts