What Are Microplastics Doing to Our Bodies? This Lab Is Racing to Find Out.

The New York TimesApril 08, 2025News
Toxicologist Matthew Campen in his lab

In a basement laboratory at the University of New Mexico, Marcus Garcia rummaged through a bin full of plastic waste. He picked past bottles, chunks of fishing net, a toothbrush, a cup with a Pokemon character and a G.I. Joe. “Yes!” he exclaimed, holding up a discarded pipette tip. “Found it.”