Americans Consume More Than 70,000 Microparticles Of Plastic A Year, Study Says

BOSTON (CBS) -- According to the American Chemical Society, the average American consumes more than 70,000 plastic particles a year.

Tiny, often microscopic, pieces of plastic are shed from a variety of sources like packages and containers and end up in our food and in the environment. Researchers found that we are literally eating, drinking, and breathing in 70-to-120,000 microplastics or more in a given year.

People who drink only bottled water could be consuming another 90,000 microplastics more compared to those who only drink tap water.

The concern is that little pieces of plastic can enter human tissue and trigger immune reactions or release toxins but further study is needed to determine the long-term health effects.