Your Brain On... Microplastics

Your Brain On... Microplastics

From Your Brain On by Drs. Ayesha and Dean Sherzai

May 27, 2026 · 31 min · Season 7 · Episode 2

About this episode

The episode discusses the controversy surrounding microplastics in the brain and critiques the methodology of a prominent study.

Headlines warned us about microplastics in our brains. A chemist says the study may have been measuring brain fat instead. In 2025, a study claiming microplastics accumulate in human brain tissue dominated our feeds. We covered it. Then Dr. Michelle Wong, a chemical scientist and science communicator, flagged a problem with the methodology. So we went to the primary literature, read the critique, and brought in one of the first scientists to publicly challenge the findings: Dr. Oliver Jones, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne. In this episode, we unpack what went wrong with the measurement method, what it means for the broader microplastics conversation, and why being willing to say "I was wrong" is so vital for good science. In this episode: How pyrolysis GC-MS works and why it can confuse plastic breakdown products with brain fat Why potassium hydroxide digestion creates soap, which also mimics plastic signatures The contamination problem: body bags, centrifuge tubes, plastic storage containers, and lab air Why 7 grams of microplastic per brain is more than what researchers find in raw sewage The Marfella study in The New England Journal of…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, Dr. Dean Sherzai

Guests: Dr. Michelle Wong, Dr. Oliver Jones

Topics covered

  • microplastics
  • brain health
  • scientific methodology
  • chemical analysis
  • environmental science
  • public health

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • brain tissue
  • chemical analysis
  • pyrolysis GC-MS
  • scientific critique
  • environmental health
  • methodology flaws

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RMIT University, WHO, FDA, European Food Safety Authority

Books & works: The New England Journal of Medicine

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