If you’ve just watched The Plastic Detox, you’re probably wondering how to direct your shock and frustration. The good news? You don’t need to eliminate plastic completely — as this Netflix documentary shows, small changes can quickly reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates.
I'll be honest — I didn’t feel shocked when I watched The Plastic Detox.
After more than 20 years working in this space with Biome, we’ve known for a long time that “allowed” doesn’t mean safe. That most chemicals haven’t been properly tested. And that everyday chemical exposures are affecting our health.
What I did feel was frustration that chemical companies are still getting away with poisoning us.
I also felt gratitude. For the people who keep challenging the chemical industry, and who help bring these issues into the mainstream. Because that is how change happens.
And most of all, I felt hopeful.
Seeing how quickly people’s chemical exposure dropped when they made simple changes. It reinforced that this doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You don’t have to do everything. But what you do will actually make a difference.
So if you’ve just watched The Plastic Detox and you’re wondering what to do next — let’s make this simple.
Note: All the quotes in this article are by the scientists and experts featured in the documentary, including epidemiologist Shanna H. Swan and activist Sharon C. Lavigne, Founder of Rise St James.
The part I wish more people understood
“Many people think that the government takes care of us… But we're not protected against the chemicals in our everyday products.”
Humans are trusting creatures at heart. We generally believe that if something is on a shelf, it must be safe. That someone, somewhere, has tested it.
But the reality is — most chemicals have never been tested.
“Time and time again we have realised that chemicals on the market for years were causing toxicity (DDT, asbestos, lead, PFAS...) The big question now is, what are we going to do about plastics?”
This line really hit me:
“I mean, we're all gonna die. We just don't want to die too quick. And not for someone else's greed.”
Historically, chemists did not look at long term toxicity when they created many of these materials. The goal was performance, durability, cost.
It’s not just pollution. It’s personal.
Ridding the world of plastic that pollutes our beaches, oceans and kills marine life has become a rallying cause. But, what we see in the environment is not the only serious problem: so are the plastic chemicals entering our bodies and impacting our biological processes.
There are two ways that plastic affects our bodies:
- Physical microscopic particles of plastic.
- Chemicals leaching from plastic that that we ingest, inhale or absorb, or that are are carried in by microplastics.
When plastics were first introduced to the market, the scientific understanding of endocrine disruption that we have today did not even exist. But, today, we now know that many chemicals leaching out of plastics are Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs) and they are linked to wide array of today's epidemics of noncommunicable diseases, like:
- infertility
- breast, prostate and testicular cancers
- immune disorders
- neurological impacts
These chemicals don’t just sit there quietly. Inside our bodies, our genes are being turned on and off trillions of times a second. And things like phthalates and BPA affect that process of turning genes on and off. That is why they are called endocrine disruptors.
"Regulatory bodies currently ignore molecular genetics. But over the last 30 years, the science has gotten a lot stronger. If anything, we underestimated the scale of the problem."
Why you can’t rely on regulation alone
Another moment that stayed with me from the film was the comparison between regions:
- The EU has banned far more chemicals (thousands in fact)
- The United States lags far behind
- And Australia? We tend to follow similar lagging patterns as the US
Which raises a pretty confronting question:
👉 If regulation isn’t keeping up… who is protecting us?
Of course, the answer, at least for now, is: We are.
"The plastics industry grew to be a behemoth, and we let that get ahead of us and out of control."
Can you really reduce plastic chemicals in your body?
For me, this was the most exciting part of the The Plastic Detox.
Although it is difficult to measure microplastics in people’s organs, you can easily measure chemical exposure through urine testing: including BPA, BPA replacements (BPS, BPF) and Phthalates.
When the participants reduced plastic exposure — food packed and stored in plastic, water, personal care, all the everyday things — their levels dropped. Within weeks.
That tells us something incredibly important: that this exposure is ongoing and we can change it quickly! And because these chemicals are biologically active — interfering with hormones — lowering them isn’t just symbolic. It’s reducing what your body is dealing with every single day.
The documentary isn’t claiming: “We detoxed the body completely”. It’s showing something much more realistic and empowering:
👉 It is possible to reduce the flow of harmful chemicals into the body.
So… what do you do next?
If you’ve just watched The Plastic Detox, this is usually where things feel overwhelming.
There is no need to try to do everything. Instead, start where it counts most.
👉 Your home environment is where you have the most control
👉 And the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and bedroom are the biggest exposure points
This is where small changes can actually reduce what’s getting into your body every day.
Start here
5 high-impact ways to reduce plastic exposure at home
These simple changes target the biggest sources of exposure in your home. This is what the participants in the Netflix doco tackled to achieve the drop in chemicals in their urine testing.
Stop heating & cooking food in plastic
Heat = more chemical leaching. This is a big one. Not just microwaving, but Teflon contains plastic chemicals too.
Switch to plastic free food storage
Glass, ceramic, stainless steel — not plastic containers and cling wrap. And where you can, avoid buying food wrapped in plastic.
Switch your water habits
Choose filtered tap water + glass or stainless steel bottles.
Look at what touches your skin daily
Personal care products and what you clean your home with matter more than you think.
Reduce synthetic fabrics where you can
They shed microplastics into your air, your home, your body.
Where I’m going next
After watching the documentary, I want to find a way to break it down in practical ways for you.
Over the next few posts, I’ll walk you through:
- If you do anything, make these 12 changes
- The kitchen (your biggest exposure zone)
- The bathroom (what goes on your body)
- The laundry (what stays in your clothes)
- The bedroom (what you breathe and absorb overnight)
Resources at Biome right now
Plastic free cleaning | Plastic free toothpaste | Plastic free deodorant | Plastic free toilet brush
Final thought
If you've just watched The Plastic Detox, take a breath. The good news is — you don’t need to solve it for the whole world. You don’t have to do everything. But you can do something. And when you do, your body will respond!
Where can I watch The Plastic Detox?
Streaming on Netflix. Click the image to go to Netflix and watch The Plastic Detox
Rise St James on Facebook - posts with excerpts from the documentary
FAQs
Q:What did The Plastic Detox Actually Prove?
A: The documentary didn’t measure microplastics in organs.
Instead, it measured chemical exposure through urine testing — including BPA and phthalates — and showed that BPA and phthalate levels dropped within weeks when participants reduced plastic use.
Q: How did The Plastic Detox measure chemicals?
A: Through urine testing of BPA, phthalates, and related compounds.
Q: Did anyone get pregnant in The Plastic Detox?
A: The documentary focused on six couples who had been experiencing difficulty falling pregnant. The study aimed to improve fertility markers such as sperm quality and hormone-related indicators by reducing plastic exposure, exploring whether this could improve chances of conception. Several couples did conceive after the intervention.
Q: What chemicals in plastic are most harmful?
A: Common concerns include BPA (bisphenol A), BPS and BPF (BPA substitutes), phthalates, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), formaldehyde, melamine, phenolic compounds (phenols), styrene, vinyl chloride (PVC), dioxins, flame retardants (e.g. PBDEs), nonylphenols (NP/NPEs), parabens, synthetic fragrance chemicals, microplastics (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene), and siloxanes (e.g. D4, D5).
