Plastic rain, plastic rain

Summary

Today, Explained: "Plastic Rain, Plastic Rain" Summary

Episode Title: Plastic Rain, Plastic Rain
Hosts: Sean Ramsdorf and Benji Jones
Release Date: April 9, 2025
Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

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Introduction

In this episode of Today, Explained, Vox hosts Sean Ramsdorf and environmental correspondent Benji Jones delve into the pervasive issue of microplastics, specifically focusing on their surprising presence in rainwater. The discussion unpacks the origins, distribution, and potential health impacts of these tiny plastic particles, drawing parallels with historical environmental challenges like acid rain.

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Understanding Microplastics

[02:29] Benji Jones:
Microplastics are defined as plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters in length. They can be as small as nanoplastics, which are under one micrometer. These particles originate from various sources, including the breakdown of larger plastic items like water bottles, fibers from synthetic clothing, and nurdles used in plastic manufacturing.

Benji emphasizes the ubiquity of microplastics, stating, “They are truly absolutely everywhere,” highlighting their presence in bodies, animals, and multiple environments across the globe.

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The Phenomenon of Plastic in Rain

[03:35] Benji Jones:
The revelation that microplastics are present in rain was initially shocking to Benji. This finding indicates that plastic pollution has become as integral to our ecosystems as microbes and bacteria, permeating even the most remote and natural environments.

[04:09] Sean Ramsdorf:
Sean seeks clarity on the visibility and quantity of plastic in rain.

[04:19] Benji Jones:
Most microplastics in rain are invisible due to their minuscule size. Studies have detected significant amounts of plastic in rainfall across national parks and wilderness areas, equating yearly plastic deposition to the equivalent of "120 to 300 million plastic water bottles."

This pervasive distribution suggests that no place on Earth, from Detroit to Timbuktu, is free from microplastic contamination in rain.

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Sources and Pathways of Microplastics Into Rain

[08:29] Benji Jones:
The primary sources of airborne microplastics include:

• Roadside Trash: Garbage on roads is pulverized by vehicular traffic, becoming airborne pollutants.
• Ocean Spray: Microplastics from the ocean become airborne through bubble formation and wave action.
• Tire Wear: Degrading tires release microplastics as they wear down.

Additionally, other harmful chemicals like PFAS (forever chemicals) are also present in rain, exacerbating its contamination.

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Health Implications of Microplastics Exposure

[09:32] Benji Jones:
The critical concern is the potential health risks associated with microplastic exposure. These include:

• Cardiovascular Diseases: Linked to chronic exposure.
• Neurological Issues: Such as dementia, with studies showing a correlation between high microplastic levels and increased incidence in affected individuals.
• Hormonal Disruption: Caused by chemicals like phthalates used in plastics, leading to fertility issues and metabolic disturbances.

Benji highlights alarming findings from the University of New Mexico, where microplastics were detected in human brains, with concentrations rising by approximately 50% from 2016 to 2024. "99.5% of our brain is brain and the rest is plastic," he notes, underscoring the invasive nature of plastic pollution.

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Historical Parallels: Acid Rain vs. Plastic Pollution

[15:16] Benji Jones:
Benji draws a parallel between the current plastic crisis and the historical issue of acid rain. In the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the U.S. successfully reduced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, significantly mitigating acid rain and its environmental impact.

While celebrating this achievement, Benji warns that the plastic problem is more insidious due to its longevity and widespread usage. However, he remains cautiously optimistic, citing global efforts to establish a plastic treaty involving over 100 countries aiming to reduce plastic waste through production caps, bans on single-use plastics, and improved recycling practices.

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Potential Solutions and Regulatory Measures

[19:01] Benji Jones:
Addressing plastic pollution requires both individual actions and systemic changes:

• Regulatory Actions: Effective regulations similar to those that curbed acid rain emissions are essential to limit plastic production and facilitate better waste management.
• Global Cooperation: International treaties can provide a unified front against plastic pollution, setting standardized measures across nations.
• Innovative Alternatives: Developing durable alternatives to commonly used plastics, such as biodegradable materials for straws and cutlery, can reduce the influx of microplastics into the environment.

Benji acknowledges the challenge posed by industries benefiting from plastic production but emphasizes the necessity of regulatory will to enforce reductions.

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Individual Actions to Mitigate Exposure

[23:38] Benji Jones:
For individuals concerned about microplastic exposure, there are several practical steps to reduce risk:

• Water Filtration: Using filters to remove microplastics from drinking water.
• Household Practices: Minimizing the use of plastic containers, especially for heating food, and opting for glass alternatives.
• Clothing Choices: Wearing natural fibers like cotton instead of polyester or nylon to reduce fiber shedding.
• Dietary Adjustments: Being cautious with sea salt and seafood consumption due to potential microplastic contamination.

Benji encourages these manageable changes as a means to lower personal exposure and health risks.

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Conclusion

In "Plastic Rain, Plastic Rain," Sean Ramsdorf and Benji Jones shed light on the insidious spread of microplastics through precipitation, their pervasive presence in the environment, and the unsettling implications for human health. While acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the episode also draws hope from historical environmental successes and ongoing global initiatives aimed at combating plastic pollution. The discussion underscores the importance of both collective regulatory action and individual responsibility in addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

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Notable Quotes:

• Benji Jones [02:29]:
  “They are truly absolutely everywhere.”

• Benji Jones [04:19]:
  “The amount of plastic that was falling on these national parks and wilderness areas every year is equivalent to like 120 to 300 million plastic water bottles every year.”

• Benji Jones [10:08]:
  “There are actually quite a long list of health problems that are linked to exposure to microplastics.”

• Benji Jones [17:14]:
  “The US in 1990, passed amendments to the Clean Air Act... will cut emissions that cause acid rain in half and permanently cap.”

• Benji Jones [20:05]:
  “...when you have major industries that are benefiting from this incredible amount of plastic flowing into the environment, we need to often create regulations that are tamping down on that supply of plastic.”

---

Produced by Avishai Artsy, Edited by Jolie Meyers, Mixed by Andrea Christensdottir and Patrick Boyd, with fact-checking by Miles Bryan.

Transcript

[Sean Ramsdorf]

It's springtime. Happy springtime. Maybe your 401k is looking more like an fmlk. Maybe you're putting those plans to buy a house or a condo on hold. Maybe you're worried about a recession. I certainly am. But at least we've got springtime. You guys. You ever go out in the rain in the springtime? Feel a little sense of renewal, humor, all the possibilities ahead? Tilt your head back, close your eyes, Andy Dufresne style. Maybe even open your mouth and take in a few drops of that high quality H2O. Maybe don't do that. It turns out there's plastic in that rain. Not like big chunks of plastic. Our old arch nemesis microplastics are in the rain. And we are going to explain it's.

[Benji Jones]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Yes, sir. Are you listening? Yes, I am today explained Sean Ramsfirm here with Benji Jones, environmental correspondent at vox. And Benji's here to talk about a piece he wrote for Vox on plastic rain. But before we get there, Benji, you know regular listeners of the show will be familiar with microplastics, but for all the irregulars out there, could you just remind them what they are?

[Benji Jones]

Sean? It's in the name Micro. It's just right. It's that easy. No, yeah, basically it is really tiny bits of plastic. Technically speaking, we're talking about plastic pieces that are less than 5 millimeters long on, like, their longest side. So it's like half a centimeter, not necessarily invisible, but you can get much, much, much smaller and into like another category called nanoplastics, which are less than one micrometer, which is a millionth of a meter or a thousandth of a millimeter. So like, they can get very, very, very small. Basically, everywhere scientists look on this planet, in our bodies, in animal bodies, we find microplastics. So they are truly absolutely everywhere. And these are like plastic fibers. So like the fibers that make up your nylon or polyester jackets or T shirts, they could be broken down pieces of water bottles that have been crushed on highways. They could be nurdles, which are like these little pellets that are used to make other things out of plastic. They're like the virgin material used to make plastic. So they're like, they're just all over the place.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

And that includes in our rain.

[Benji Jones]

Yeah.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Which I didn't know until I read your piece.

[Benji Jones]

Yeah. So like, on the one hand, microplastics are absolutely everywhere. So, like, the fact that it's in the rain is maybe not as surprising. But to me, when I was learning about plastic rain, that there is plastic in our rain, it was really shocking to me because it suggests that, like, plastic is part of our ecosystems. It is like, as fundamental at this point as like, microbes and bacteria. It's just like part of the world that we live in, part of the fiber of the planet. And that to me is quite scary and like another level.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

And when you say that it's in our rain, can you just help us understand what exactly that looks like? I mean, can you literally see it?

[Benji Jones]

More often than not, you can't see it. So these are really, really small particles of plastic. And that's because in order for microplastics to get into the rain, they have to be transported by the air. They have to be in the air. And so all these sort of invisible pieces of plastic are in the ra rain falling down. And there are a handful of studies that have found plastic in rainfall all over the world and in some kind of scary quantities too.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Like how much?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah. So the study that I was like, okay, I need to write about this was a study of rain and dust falling on national parks and wilderness areas in the west. These are like Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree. And these researchers found that the amount of plastic that was falling on these national parks and wilderness areas every year is equivalent to like 120 to 300 million plastic water bottles every year. So, like, you see trash when you're hiking through the wilderness, but, like, there's actually trash, like falling from the sky. And it is probably more than the physical pieces that you can actually see. It's just like everywhere.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Everywhere. Like, does that mean there's microplastics in the rain in Detroit, Timbuktu, Fiji? Like, is there no place on earth where you won't encounter microplastics in the rain? Or is it, you know, closer to polluted spaces, closer to cities, whatever it might be?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, it's really everywhere. I mean, Sean, it's in the. It's in the French Pyrenees. Like, it's in snowfall, in the, like, Alps, like it is. Just because there is microplastic in the air, it's able to get all over the world. And so I saw studies in China, India, Europe. There are microplastics and the ocean, like tens, if not hundreds of trillions of plastic particles. Beach sand, all around the world, Seafood, which is like, again, it's in the ocean, so it's in our fish, it's in our homes, it's in the carpets, plastic fibers, et cetera. It's in snow in Antarctica, it's in sea ice, it's at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. One of my favorite studies, but also kind of sad. Scientists looked at dolphin breaths like the size of dolphins and found microplastics in the breath of these dolphins. So, like, dolphins are breathing out microplastics. This is a microplastic fiber found in dolphin breath, and it's 14 times smaller than a human hair. We found it by holding a petri dish over dolphins blowholes so we can analyze what they breathe out. Dolphins are top predators in marine ecosystems, so scientists use them as a way of monitoring the effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Ocean waves are basically plastic confetti machines, and they can launch 100,000 metric tons of plastic into the air every year. And then it's also everywhere that we've looked in the human body. So it's in our blood, it's in our kidneys, it's in our semen, the placenta. And in the human body, we're finding microplastics that are so small, these nanoplastics, that they're actually able to cross the blood brain barrier. I mean, one of the big news stories of this year was that scientists found a plastic spoons worth of microplastics in the human brain, like in an average brain by weight, which is perfect terrifying to think about. New research out of the University of New Mexico finds alarmingly high levels of that plastic in human brains at much higher concentrations compared to the liver and kidney. They looked at some individuals with dementia. They had higher levels of microplastics in the brain. According to researchers, the amount of microplastics in analyzed brains rose by about 50% from 2016 to 2024. This study found that, like, 99.5% of our brain is brain and the rest is plastic. So, like, 0.5% of our brain is plastic, which is another way to think about the spoon and scary. And it's also, like, more plastic currently than it was in the past. So, like, that indicates that with the rise of plastic in the environment, we're seeing a rise of plastic in our heads. So that's great.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Sorry, I didn't hear anything you said. I think I had a seizure from all the plastic in my brain. And where exactly is it coming from?

[Benji Jones]

So there's a lot of trash on the side of roads that gets run over by car after car, and then it gets ground up into little pieces. They become airborne, and then they get transported everywhere and rained out. You can also have plastic in the ocean getting all the way inland and being rained out on land. We know there is a lot of plastic in the ocean, including a lot of microplastics. And even when, like, bubbles on the surface are popping, they're, like, flinging microplastics into the air. And also when waves are crashing on the shore, they're causing the microplastics to become airborne. So the oceans are a big source. The highways are a big source. Also, tires are a big producer of microplastics as they wear down. So just the tires degrading over time can put microplastics into the air. And it's not just plastic that's in our rain. It's actually other chemicals like pfas. So a bunch of studies have also found these forever chemicals in the rain, too. So our rain is quite dirty.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

And just for the people out there who are maybe like, yeah, there's plastic in the rain, whatever. There's plastic in my bed, there's plastic in my brain. Why do we not want plastic in the rain, Benji?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, this is, like, the most important question in my mind is, like, is there an actual risk to being exposed to all this plastic? That it has many benefits, right? Like, we benefit from plastic. We're talking on devices made of plastic right now. It's light, it makes cars less polluting, etc. Scientists are learning that microplastics in our bodies, which could get there because of what we're drinking and what we're eating, are linked to A number of health concerns like cardiovascular disease, mental issues like dementia. So like, there is actually quite a long list of health problems that are linked to exposure to microplastics.

[Jevon]

Could it be increasing the risk of stroke or heart attack? Could it be increasing the risk of cancer? Inflammatory bowel disease, infertility?

[Benji Jones]

So there are any number of things. Preterm birth, it is thought that it can disrupt your hormones, so it can cause some fertility issues, it can mess.

[Jevon]

With your metabolism and it can cause neurological issues.

[Benji Jones]

Part of that is just the physical bit of plastic being in your body. It's like this foreign substance that your body is trying to get rid of. And so it's going to have an inflammatory response which can be bad over time. But also there are a lot of chemicals that are like hundreds if not thousands of chemicals used in plastics. And those chemicals like phthalates which make plastic bendy are also associated with other issues like hormone disruption and fertility issues. So, yeah, I would say it is pretty fair to say that there are health problems linked to all this exposure. That personally makes me worried, personally.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

But you're also worried for like, your fellow human.

[Benji Jones]

Oh, I don't care about anybody else. Yeah, I am worried. And like, we do have chronic illness problems in the us, in countries all over the world. Like, we know that chronic disease is getting worse over time in terms of like how many people have it. And I think that we should be looking at things like the spread of microplastics.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Well, Benji, is there anything we can do about it?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, so, I mean, it's really easy to just feel kind of hopeless. And I do at times personally, but I like to look back at history and other environmental problems that we actually solved. So there are examples of problems. So like the ozone layer, that big giant hole in the ozone that was letting all this harmful solar radiation in. We like are on track to close that through regulations. And then more relevant to this conversation is acid rain. So like in the 60s, 70s and 80s, acid rain was a huge environmental problem talked about by like congressmen, the public, etc. And we pretty much fixed that. I mean, it's not fixed everywhere, but like, you don't really hear about acid rain anymore. And that's because it doesn't really exist, especially in the developed world.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Let's drop some acid when we return on Today Explained.

[Benji Jones]

Fun.

[Jevon]

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[Benji Jones]

Wow.

[Jevon]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Sean Ramsdorf]

Today. Explain back with Benji Jones who's gonna tell us how we fixed acid rain? Is that what we did, Benji?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and say we have mostly fixed acid rain.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Huh? And remind us what the problem was.

[Benji Jones]

Okay, so acid rain, rain that is slightly acidic, like several times more acidic than regular rain. Probably not like pure lemon juice, but maybe like lemonade or something slightly diluted, and the rain was largely acidic because of a handful of gases. So sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which is nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide. And these were gases largely emitted by coal power plants and the tailpipes of cars.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

In our time, acid rain has become a subject of international concern and scientific research.

[Benji Jones]

Acid rain looks, feels, and smells like any other rain. But the water in acid rain carries poisons like sulfuric acid. That acid and its effects have been blamed for killing fish and plant life in hundreds of lakes in the northeastern United States and Canada. Our Canadian neighbors to the north are becoming impatient to a point where U.S. canada relations are more strained than ever. At the center of this irritant is the acid rain problem, one that has no respect for international boundaries. And as all this acidic rain was falling, we started to see impacts from that. So, like, I don't know, maybe you've seen the photos of statues that look like they're kind of melted. But we also saw, like, forests starting to collapse, fish die in lakes in the Adirondack. So it was like a human problem and an environmental problem.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

And then we did something about it.

[Benji Jones]

Yes, we did. The US in 1990, passed amendments to the Clean Air act, which is like the seminal regulation in the US to clean up the air, that started to limit the amount of sulfur dioxide that coal power plants were able to produce. This bill will cut emissions that cause acid rain in half and permanently cap.

[Jevon]

Them at these new levels.

[Benji Jones]

And also around the same time, catalytic converters were becoming a big thing. Those reduce emissions and tailpipes. And so you started to see these regulations limiting the amount of pollution coming from these important sources like coal and cars. And as a result, we saw acid rain start to decline.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Huh. Did anyone, like, celebrate it was there, like, a day where we said, we did it, guys. We beat acid rain.

[Benji Jones]

I didn't come across anyone being like, congratulations, we fixed this. I think when regulations work, they don't maybe get the attention they deserve.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Let's take a moment now on the show to just celebrate that we, at least for now, managed to beat acid rain.

[Benji Jones]

But I should also just say so, like, some places like, oh, no. Are you going to caveat it? Oh, always. Come on.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Okay, great.

[Benji Jones]

There are some places around the world that still have a lot of coal energy, like China and India. And you will still see acid rain there. I actually saw, like, a headline about the Taj Mahal being, like, affected by acid rain, like, eroding the surface of the Taj Mahal. So, like, some parts of the world still deal with, like, slightly acidic rain because they have emissions from these fossil fuels. But in general, especially in wealthier parts of the world, we are not getting rained on by Assad, which is great.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

I mean, no biggie. There was like, another Taj Mahal in New Jersey at some point, right? They'll just make another one.

[Jevon]

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[Benji Jones]

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[Jevon]

Casino in Atlantic City.

[Benji Jones]

Some economists call it a reckless gamble.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Can we apply any of the learnings from how we, at least in some places in the world, defeated acid rain to this plastic rain, plastic rain situation we've got currently all over the world?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah. Okay, great question. So I think in some ways the plastic problem is worse because plastic stays around forever, like decades, centuries, really hard to get rid of once it's in the environment. Pfas, same story. But, but, but. And this is my rare bout of hope, which is that we learned from acid rain, from the ozone hole, that when we as a species, humans, governments, want to solve a problem, want to solve an environmental problem, we do it. There was public outcry around acid rain. We fixed it largely. And so I think that is a lesson in, like, this is a question about will. Do we have the will to get rid of plastics and do we have the regulations in place to do so? And that is the other kind of important takeaway, which is that when you have major industries that are benefiting from this incredible amount of plastic flowing into the environment, we need to often create regulations that are tamping down on that supply of plastic.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Do we have any of those?

[Benji Jones]

Well, I don't think folks who follow the plastic conversation closely are very hopeful about the current administration. As you may have seen, Trump is trying to bring back plastic straws.

[Jevon]

Oh, yeah, we're going back to plastic straws.

[Benji Jones]

These things don't work. He seems to be passionately against paper straws, which, like, okay, there's some merit to that. I've had them many times, and on.

[Jevon]

Occasion, they break, they explode.

[Benji Jones]

If something's hot, they don't last very long, like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds. It's a ridiculous situation, though.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

That one seems to have unified left and right.

[Benji Jones]

He is right on this one. Those straws are terrible. Yeah, it is true. I mean, no one wants that dissolving paper straw.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

I think it's overblown. Personally, I've had, like, compostable straws that work just fine, I wanna say.

[Benji Jones]

But you're also famously anti plastic.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Famously. Everyone knows about that. Wah, wah, wah. I Hate plastic. Wah.

[Benji Jones]

Anyway, so like, right, Are we gonna see regulations in this administration to start limiting plastic when the president is so pro oil and gas, which is the same industry as the plastic industry. We will drill, baby, drill. I think probably not. I will say though, and this is something fairly hopeful, there is a global effort right now to create a plastic treaty involving over 100 countries. So countries around the world are trying to create a global agreement to reduce plastic waste that could include things like a cap on the production of plastic, bans on certain types of single use plastic, and also best practices for companies that are producing plastic for end of life. So like better recycling and so forth. So there are efforts at the global scale to fix the plastic problem. They're ongoing. There's like some roadblocks, but it's happening. And so I think that is something that is worth celebrating should it come to pass.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Okay, so you're saying fixing the plastic rain problem is really just fixing the plastic problem. But then you were also saying that like it's in our tires and the tires are on the road and it's just constantly getting in the air. That just feels like unwieldy.

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, I mean, I think this is a situation where like we need to focus on getting rid of the plastics that are not as essential. Like we can acknowledge the fact that tires are useful. I mean we can probably make tires that are not like wearing away and filling the air with microplastics. But like in general tire is good. I think like getting plastic cutlery with takeout every time probably pretty easy to get rid of. Like we don't really need plastic straws. Like use seaweed or whatever the fuck to make, make straws not disintegrate. It's fine. Like we are innovative, we don't need to be. This is not a problem. So I think being clear about what the like priority plastics are that we should get rid of is a way to like make this problem not seem so overwhelming.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

You know, Benji, a former colleague of ours, Jerusalem Dempsis, I saw recently on our cursed shared social media platform, she wrote something like, I need everyone to stop talking to me about microplastics. I don't care. Do you think at all in an era where people have bigger problems, be they, I don't know, their 401k evaporating into the air. It's hard to care about the microplastics that are evaporating into the air. Do you think this is too low on the priority list? That it's raining plastic?

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, I mean I feel like it's totally fair to not care about this. Like I am writing about the climate crisis, extinction crisis like every week. And so I get it. Like I don't want another problem in my life. But there are also fairly simple things we can do as individuals on a day to day level that help us reduce our own exposure. I don't want to get sick, I don't want to have chronic illness. So I'm going to filter my water, for example. That is what I like about this topic, which is that there are things you can do. And so like the headline is limit plastic that you're exposed to. Obviously plastic Tupperware. Don't use it. Use glass, especially if you microwave in it. Dust is full of microplastics. So clean up after yourself. Use vacuums, etc. Avoid polyester and nylon clothing if you can afford like cotton, it's more comfortable. I think some people avoid sea salt because it comes from the sea and there's like plastic in the sea. Avoid sea salt.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

That one breaks my heart.

[Benji Jones]

I didn't know about that one.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Dang it. But then it's like, don't eat fish either. Cause they're also from the sea.

[Benji Jones]

Yeah, like that is like performative if you're not eating sea salt. Like, yeah. I mean this is like the whole question about using plastic cutting boards too. Like you're not ingesting like a credit card's worth of plastic by using a plastic cutting board.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

News you can use Benji Jones Vox. Thank you so much.

[Benji Jones]

Thank you, Sean.

[Sean Ramsdorf]

Benji Jones Vox. You can read his piece there. It's called we got rid of acid rain. Now something scarier is falling from the sky. Avishai Artsy produced today's show fearlessly. Jolie Meyers edited. Andrea Christensdottir and Patrick Boyd mixed. Miles Bryan, Check the facts. This is the rain explained. I only wanna see you dancing in the plastic. R.