The Hidden Health Impact of Microplastics with Prof. Michaela Lucas (465)

***Prof Lucas would like to provide the following clarification in regards to comments relating to prenatal BPA exposure and male autism spectrum disorder: "A positive association between high prenatal BPA exposure and ASD diagnosis was only seen in male offspring with a genetic predisposition to low aromatase enzyme activity." Professor Michaela Lucas, an Immunologist and Immunopathologist researching the health impacts of plastics, joins me to explore what microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals may be doing inside our bodies. We discuss how compounds like bisphenols and phthalates can act like hormone-mimicking molecules, the evidence linking plastic exposure to developmental and fertility concerns, and why some estimates of microplastics in the body may have been overstated. Professor Lucas also shares insights from her ongoing study in Perth examining how everyday exposures, particularly ultra-processed foods packaged in plastic, may contribute to microplastics in the body. Listeners can subscribe to receive the study results when they're released via www.uwa.edu.au/projects/the-perth-trial. Linkedin: @prof-michaela-lucas/