Lab Notes: Tips to reduce microplastics exposure

It's impossible to escape microplastics. They're in our food and water, and the air around us is teeming with them. 

So considering they're all around us, how can we minimise our exposure to tiny plastic fragments without resorting to living in a cave? 

This episode was first broadcast in August 2025. 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more. Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

Cassandra Rauert, microplastics researcher at the University of Queensland 

More information:

Microplastics are in our food, water and air. How can we minimise our exposure to them?

Human exposure to PM10 microplastics in indoor air

Average household dishwasher releases 33 million nano and microplastic particles per year, research finds

Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution — but you can clean your clothes more sustainably

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.