# Is there growing scientific consensus that recycling plastic is bad for the environment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-growing-scientific-consensus-that-recycling-plastic-is-bad-for-the-environment/975880 "2022-12-01T21:12:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 34
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2025, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-growing-scientific-consensus-that-recycling-plastic-is-bad-for-the-environment/975880/34 "2025-08-05T01:15:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think anyone is actually really aware of microplastics yet. I mean, we know they exist, and we know that they’re found all over the place… but then what? All of the popular press seems to end with “And therefore you should be scared”. But should we? Where are the studies on the actual health problems caused (or not caused) by them? > [@Melamine, should we worry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melamine-should-we-worry/423707/11): > > Maxine Swee-Li Yee, Ling-Wei Hii, et al, “Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health”, Nanomaterials 2021 , 11 (2), 496: [Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that micro- and nanoplastics were able to cause serious impacts on the human body, including physical stress and damage, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress and immune responses.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7920297/#:~:text=Several%20in%20vitro%20and%20in%20vivo%20studies%20have%20shown%20that%20micro%2D%20and%20nanoplastics%20were%20able%20to%20cause%20serious%20impacts%20on%20the%20human%20body%2C%20including%20physical%20stress%20and%20damage%2C%20apoptosis%2C%20necrosis%2C%20inflammation%2C%20oxidative%20stress%20and%20immune%20responses) Stranger Stranger --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-growing-scientific-consensus-that-recycling-plastic-is-bad-for-the-environment/975880)._