A study published Sept. 16, 2026, in the journal Science Advances found that polyethylene microplastic exposure was associated with liver dysfunction in mice, according to the researchers who conducted the work. The study reported that liver damage was more pronounced in mice that received polyethylene in combination with a diet designed to promote metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, a more advanced form of fatty liver disease.
Polyethylene is the most widely produced plastic in the world and is common in food packaging, plastic wrap, storage containers, and some beverage cup linings, according to the study. Researchers used a technique called spatial transcriptomics to map cell-specific changes in the liver, rather than measuring gene activity across the whole organ. The authors stated that their findings do not prove that polyethylene causes liver disease in humans.
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