Woman Reveals Just How Much 'Microplastic' Was Hiding on Hawaii Beach
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An ocean conservationist in Hawaii has sparked debate after sharing footage that highlights just how much plastic debris is hiding on our beaches.
Carissa Cabrera filmed herself using a screen sifter to sort through the sand on a local beach. With the caption: "When I say microplastics are a problem, this is what I mean," the video revealed just how many tiny plastic fragments came out of the sand.
Cabrera, CEO and creative director of climate consultancy Futureswell, said she wanted to illustrate just how severe the issue is in Hawaii. "Isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I wanted to share the depth and scale of plastic pollution in Hawaii as a result of the ocean currents that bring microplastics ashore with weather," she told Newsweek.
"Hawaii is on the frontlines of the plastic crisis, as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre collects marine debris and delivers [it] to our shorelines—this is debris from countries across the Pacific, and speaks to the scale of the pollution issue.
"Plastic pollution is pervasive—with studies having found it in our breast milk, placenta, reproductive organs, air, and clouds. It is found in all corners of the Earth, in everything we use, and it is a toxic material that threatens ocean health and human health," she said.
Pictures from the viral video where Carissa shared the plastics hidden on beaches.
Pictures from the viral video where Carissa shared the plastics hidden on beaches.
@carissaandclimate/TikTok
Scientific evidence increasingly supports Cabrera's concerns. Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, told Newsweek: "There is ample evidence that plastic particles pollute the air, drinking water, and food, leading to an ever-increasing risk of inhalation and ingestion on a global scale."
Microplastics are particles smaller than five millimeters in length, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They originate from larger pieces of plastic debris that break down, as well as from microbeads used in products like exfoliants.
Recent studies have confirmed that microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are found throughout the human body—including the blood, lungs, liver, kidneys, and even the brain. One 2024 study found that patients with detectable microplastics in their arterial plaque were 4.5 times more likely to experience heart attacks, strokes, or death within three years. Another study revealed higher concentrations of microplastics in the brains of individuals with dementia, with notable accumulations in blood vessel walls and immune cells.
Other research also suggests that microplastics may harm other vital organs, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, placenta, testicles, and tonsils.
The response to Cabrera's TikTok video, which amassed more than 600,000 views since being shared to @carissaandclimate earlier this month, was mixed, as some people pointed out an issue with the plastics in the screen: "The actual microplastics are too small to be caught in that sifter," said one commenter.
While another wrote: "Respectfully those are just small bits of plastic, hazardous and bad for the environment but doesn't carry the same risks as the ones that are in our bodies."
But in response, Cabrera pointed out that it is the larger pieces of plastic that eventually break down and become microplastics, that may be impossible to see with the naked eye, but cause the health issues uncovered by recent studies.
Having lived in Hawaii for more than a decade and working in marine debris solutions, Cabrera was not personally surprised by the extent of pollution. Rather, she shared the video to educate others. "The reaction on TikTok showed me one thing: the vast majority of people do not understand the scale of this issue and we need to bring it to the forefront to help people and planet," she said.
References
(Lee et al., 2023; Marfella et al., 2024; Nihart et al., 2025; Saraluck et al., 2024)
Lee, Y., Cho, J., Sohn, J., & Kim, C. (2023). Health Effects of Microplastic Exposures: Current Issues and Perspectives in South Korea. Yonsei Medical Journal, 64(5), 301–308. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2023.0048
Marfella, R., Prattichizzo, F., Sardu, C., Fulgenzi, G., Graciotti, L., Spadoni, T., D'Onofrio, N., Scisciola, L., Grotta, R. L., Frigé, C., Pellegrini, V., Municinò, M., Siniscalchi, M., Spinetti, F., Vigliotti, G., Vecchione, C., Carrizzo, A., Accarino, G., Squillante, A., ... Paolisso, G. (2024). Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events. New England Journal of Medicine, 390(10), 900–910. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
Nihart, A. J., Garcia, M. A., El Hayek, E., Liu, R., Olewine, M., Kingston, J. D., Castillo, E. F., Gullapalli, R. R., Howard, T., Bleske, B., Scott, J., Gonzalez-Estrella, J., Gross, J. M., Spilde, M., Adolphi, N. L., Gallego, D. F., Jarrell, H. S., Dvorscak, G., Zuluaga-Ruiz, M. E., ... Campen, M. J. (2025). Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nature Medicine, 31(4), 1114–1119. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1
Saraluck, A., Techarang, T., Bunyapipat, P., Boonchuwong, K., Pullaput, Y., & Mordmuang, A. (2024). Detection of Microplastics in Human Breast Milk and Its Association with Changes in Human Milk Bacterial Microbiota. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13144029
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