Microplastics
Plastic fragments small enough to shed from a product into food, water or air without anyone seeing it. They come off coatings, synthetic fabric and worn plastic during normal use. The research on what they do inside the body is young, which is a reason for care rather than comfort.
Definition and health context from EPA.
We checked 11,795 products and found microplastics reported or likely in 879 of them.
Where microplastics turns up
Categories we grade, worst first, as a share of what we scored in each.
| Category | Flagged | Scored | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pet Bedding | 15 | 15 | 100% |
| Lunch Boxes | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| incontinence-pads | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| smart-wearables | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Artificial Turf | 64 | 67 | 96% |
| Yoga Leggings | 15 | 17 | 88% |
| Food Storage Containers | 13 | 15 | 87% |
| Performance Socks | 13 | 15 | 87% |
| Coffee Cups | 13 | 15 | 87% |
| Sports Bras | 13 | 15 | 87% |
| Swimwear | 163 | 189 | 86% |
| Fishing Tackle | 48 | 57 | 84% |
| Sports Performance Undergarments | 69 | 85 | 81% |
| Hiking Pants | 12 | 15 | 80% |
Where we found real evidence
Reported or likely, lowest scoring first. Not plausibility.
PTFE coatings scratch and flake with use, especially with metal utensils or dishwasher cleaning. Ingestion of small flaked particles shows lower concern in acute scenarios but unknown for chronic exposure; no industry standard exists for wear limits before rep
Hard-anodized nonstick cookware coatings, regardless of chemistry, gradually wear with use and dishwasher exposure. Flaking or peeling coatings can introduce microparticles into food; visible degradation is a reliable trigger for replacement.
PTFE non-stick coatings on all cookware, including All-Clad, can peel or flake with age, abrasion, or thermal cycling. Ingestion of small coating fragments is generally considered low-acute-risk due to PTFE's chemical inertness, but preventable via prompt repl
PTFE coatings on air fryers are known to chip, flake, or peel with age and mechanical wear. Ingestion of microscopic PTFE particles is not acutely toxic but chronic exposure risk is understudied. Visible flaking is a sign replacement is needed.
Repeated heating cycles, mechanical wear from utensils, and cleaning damage all cause PTFE coatings to flake or shed microscopic particles into food. No published recall data specific to Tefal ActiFry, but this is a known risk class for all PTFE nonstick cookw
PTFE coatings wear over time, especially in budget non-stick lines; visible flaking or discoloration indicates coating breakdown. Once degraded, particles may shed into food. T-Fal provides no published durability testing or expected lifespan for the Essential
Any PTFE non-stick coating sheds microscopic particles with use, accelerated by dishwasher washing, metal utensils, or high heat. Ingestion of small amounts of PTFE is not believed to cause acute toxicity, but long-term accumulation in the body is not fully ch
PTFE coatings naturally degrade with repeated heating, cooling, and abrasion. Ingestion of small coating flakes is considered low toxicity by regulatory bodies, but no long-term nonstick-pan microplastic inhalation data exists for this product class.
Griddles are high-friction cookware; repeated scraping and washing degrade PTFE coatings, releasing microscopic particles into food. No data exists on established ingestion levels of PTFE particles; long-term accumulation is not understood.
PTFE coatings on steel sheet pans are subject to wear from repeated heating, cooling, and cleaning. Visible peeling or flaking has been reported by some users over multi-year use; ingested flakes are generally considered inert but represent loss of non-stick f
Any scratched or flaking nonstick coating can shed microscopic particles into food. Silicone mat coatings are subject to mechanical wear over time. Risk is minimized by gentle hand-washing and avoiding metal utensils, but long-term particle ingestion from degr
Answers about microplastics, with every source linked
The other chemicals we screen for
Every product here is checked against all of these, so a product that clears microplastics may still be flagged for one of them.
Common questions
What is microplastics?
Plastic fragments small enough to shed from a product into food, water or air without anyone seeing it. They come off coatings, synthetic fabric and worn plastic during normal use. The research on what they do inside the body is young, which is a reason for care rather than comfort.
Which products contain microplastics?
Of the 11,795 products we have graded, 4,345 are flagged for it and 879 on reported or likely evidence rather than plausibility. Pet Bedding & Mats is the worst category at 100% of what we scored there.
Is microplastics in pet bedding & mats?
More than in anything else we grade. 15 of the 15 pet bedding & mats we scored carry a flag for it, which is 100%. The full breakdown per product is on each product page.
How do you know?
We do not lab test. Every grade here is built from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, brand disclosures, recalls and third party lab results where those already exist. Where a product has been independently tested we use that result and say so, and where a brand publishes nothing we score the silence rather than guessing.
37% of everything we grade carries a flag for microplastics. See every hazard we track or browse the full products list.
Graded picks you can buy today
The safest product we have graded in each of our biggest categories.
- VOSS VOSS stillExcellent 100/100Check price
- Nikwax Nikwax Conditioner for LeatherExcellent 100/100Check price
- Blazing Needles 74 in by 19 in Outdoor Solid Polyester Tufted Chaise Lounge CushionExcellent 85/100Check price
- Nike Nike PD SoftExcellent 85/100Check price
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