There are physicians practicing today who trained when reusable glass syringes were still common. Medicine went plastic in just one generation, roughly 60 years, and the shift happened at scale in the 1960s, when single-use plastic-based devices made it possible to eliminate most dangerous cross-contamination between patients and make hospitals safer for workers (NS Medical Devices, 2021).
This was a genuine revolution, and it saved lives. We made this choice for infection control, and it worked.
The AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s further accelerated adoption of single-use plastics, driven by deep concerns about disease spread (National Geographic, 2021). When healthcare workers saw colleagues contract HIV, when patients like Kimberly Ann Bergalis died in 1991 after infection at a dentist, the response was reasonable: protect everyone with barriers that could be safely discarded. Doctors wore goggles, masks, head covers, blue plastic full body garb, and gloves when seeing AIDS patients—and for good reason (PMC, 2022).
What we didn’t know then: the plastic itself might become a patient safety issue.
Recent research reveals plastics have become ubiquitous not just in hospitals, but in our bodies. In a 2024 study of 62 human placentas, researchers found microplastics in every single sample tested, with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue (UNM Health Sciences, 2024). These microplastic particles have been found in all placental portions: maternal, fetal, and amniochorial membranes (Ragusa et al., 2021).
The most common polymer found is polyethylene—the plastic used to make bags and bottles—which accounted for 54% of total plastics in placental tissue (UNM Health Sciences, 2024). The same materials we chose for hygiene and safety are now present before birth.
The health implications are becoming clearer.
A 2021 study in Environmental Pollution examining over 5,000 American adults found that phthalate exposure—chemicals used to make plastics more flexible—was associated with approximately 90,000 to 107,000 premature deaths annually, primarily from cardiovascular disease. The economic cost: $39.9 to $47.1 billion in lost productivity per year (Trasande et al., 2021).
The Scale of What We’re Looking At
An estimated 25% of hospital waste is plastic (National Geographic, 2021). Globally, around 16 billion plastic syringes and 15 billion face masks are thrown away each year (The Lancet, 2025).
A single hysterectomy procedure can produce up to 20 pounds of waste, most of which is plastic (National Geographic, 2021). And here’s the paradox: the perception that single-use plastics are inherently safer isn’t supported by evidence; they’re typically used because they’re more convenient (Health Care Without Harm).
Taking Moments to Actively Look Around
Over the coming weeks, you’ll hear from a lifestyle medicine doctor, an interventional radiologist, a pediatric neurosurgeon who paused to observe what plastic surrounds them in their daily practice.
In one generation, we replaced glass and metal with plastic to save lives from infection. What would a generation of innovation look like—one that protects patients from both infection and the materials we use to deliver care?
The goal isn’t to eliminate all medical plastics this year. The goal is to ask what is necessary and what can be eliminated or replaced.
Medicine prioritizes safety. The microplastics research is teaching us to ask: what kind of safety?
This is the first post in a series examining plastic use across medical specialties. In the coming weeks, we’ll share observations from physicians in primary care, interventional radiology, and pediatric neurosurgery—showing what they found when they started looking.
Sources
- Campen, M., et al. (2024). Microplastics in Every Human Placenta, New UNM Health Sciences Research Discovers. UNM Health Sciences Center. https://hscnews.unm.edu/news/hsc-newsroom-post-microplastics
- Health Care Without Harm. Plastics FAQs. https://global.noharm.org/focus/plastics/faqs
- Kelleher, D.C., Fouts-Palmer, E.B., & Ip, V. (2024). Plastic in Healthcare: Everywhere and Hidden in Plain Sight. ASRA Pain Medicine News, 49. https://asra.com/news-publications/asra-newsletter/newsletter-item/asra-news/2024/04/15/plastic-in-healthcare-everywhere-and-hidden-in-plain-sight
- Lyu, L., et al. (2025). Plastics in health care: rethinking medical device innovation, use, and disposal for sustainability. The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01099-2/abstract
- National Geographic. (2021). Can Medical Care Exist Without Plastic? https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/can-medical-care-exist-without-plastic
- NS Medical Devices. (2021). Four Reasons the Medical Devices Industry Couldn’t Live Without Plastics. https://www.nsmedicaldevices.com/analysis/plastics-in-medical-devices/
- Plastic Pollution Coalition. COVID-19 Plastic Waste Statistics. https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
- Ragusa, A., et al. (2021). Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta. Environment International, 146, 106274. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297
- Reardon, C., et al. (2020). Plastics in healthcare: time for a re-evaluation. BMJ, 371. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7068768/
- Trasande, L., Liu, B., & Bao, W. (2021). Phthalates and attributable mortality: A population-based longitudinal cohort study and cost analysis. Environmental Pollution, 292, 118021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34654571/
- Zhu, X., et al. (2022). Fighting a Plague: Doctors’ Stories of Challenge and Innovation Combatting the AIDS Epidemic in 1980s New York City. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9384273/
