The PERTH Trial
Pursuing answers to the most pressing questions on plastic chemical exposure and human health.
The experts on plastic chemical exposure and human health
Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas leads this multidisciplinary research team, investigating exposure to plastic chemicals in adults in Perth, Western Australia.
Our team includes doctors, nurses, dieticians, statisticians, biologists, and other experienced professionals.
Plastics and human health is one of the key priorities of Minderoo Foundation, which funds the PERTH Trial.
Michaela Lucas
Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas, MD, Dr Med, FRACP, FRCPA, is a leading Immunologist/Immunopathologist and Clinician-Scientist, with appointments...
Andrew Lucas
Dr Andrew Lucas is a Senior Fellow at the University of Western Australia, with expertise studying innate and adaptive immunity, most recently in t...
Amelia Harray
Dr Amelia Harray, PhD, AdvAPD, AN, is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian, Nutritionist, and Clinical Researcher with appointments at the U...
The Work of The PERTH Trial
Reducing our exposure to plastics could transform our health. Australians are exposed to chemicals found in plastics every day, often without noticing. They can be found in the products we put on our skin, the clothing we wear, the air we breathe and the food we eat and more, but not enough is known about the impacts on health.
The most comprehensive clinical trial on plastic exposure and human health is being undertaken right now in Perth, Western Australia. This world-class team of researchers and clinicians are experts on plastics in the human body.
Since 2022, The University of Western Australia researchers on the Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health (PERTH) Trial have been measuring exposure to plastic chemicals and the levels of common plastic chemicals in adults across Perth, Western Australia.
The team investigated two major types of plastic chemicals, bisphenols and phthalates, both of which can interfere with endocrine (hormonal) functions in the human body and have been linked to infertility, and cardiometabolic disease.
More than 16,000 chemicals such as BPA, BPS and phthalates are commonly used in the manufacture of plastic for food and beverage packaging, kitchen utensils, cling film, plastic food and drink containers and personal care products, among many other items.
The PERTH Trial team, included dieticians, doctors, nurses, statisticians and biologists who analysed urine, blood and nasal samples, behavioural questionnaires and socio-demographic data from 211 healthy adult participants.
They found 100 per cent of participants showed high levels of plastic chemicals in their bodies, with each participant recording at least six different chemical types on any given day.
By assessing people’s exposure to plastics in their diet, environment and lifestyle, while measuring plastic chemical levels in their urine, the research team identified that highly processed, packaged and canned foods and beverages were significant contributors.
From the original study participants, 60 individuals were selected to be part of a randomised controlled trial involving a low plastic diet and lifestyle intervention, and divided into five groups. This enabled researchers to test the effectiveness of replacing food and beverages, kitchenware and personal care products with low plastic alternatives.
Results of our 7-day low-plastic diet and lifestyle intervention have been published in Nature Medicine.
Is there a ‘safe’ level of plastic chemicals in the human body? This is something we don’t have an answer to yet, and more research is needed.”Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas
Principal investigator
Expert Q&A
Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas
Q. Can I drink from a single-use coffee cup? It says it's made from plants!
Answer:
Even paper cups lined with so-called plant-based material (like corn starch) contain plastic chemicals to hold the substance together. There is no legal requirement for this information to be listed on the packaging, and manufacturers may not even know which chemicals it contains.
Previous research studies have shown that an average of 25,000 microplastic particles leach into hot water within 15 minutes (per 100 ml cup), making that quick cup of takeaway coffee a health risk.
What should I do instead?
Sit instore and drink from a glass or ceramic cup, or byo ceramic mug, or stainless steel insulated cup (remove the plastic lid when you sip). Encourage your local café to start a mug library with second-hand ceramic mugs. If you forget your reusable, you can borrow a mug and bring it back clean the next time you visit.
Dr Andrew Lucas
Q. Can I microwave my food and drinks in plastic containers? It says 'microwave safe'!
Answer:
Microwaving food is one of the most common ways to increases your plastic chemical exposure. As the plastic heats up it releases unknown amounts of chemical compounds into the food.
What should I do instead?
When heating food in the microwave use a ceramic or heat-proof glass container with a ceramic plate on top. If you need to store food in a plastic container in the fridge, line it with a paper towel or aluminum foil to create a barrier between your food and the plastic.
Dr Amelia Harray
Q. Can I cook with plastic utensils or mixing bowls and wash them in the dishwasher?
Answer:
Black plastic-coated cooking utensils lose plastic at an alarming rate when used in cooking, due to the plastic literally melting into your food. Non-stick surfaces also contain harmful chemicals that leach over time. The reason non-stick pans eventually lose their ‘non-stickiness’ is because all that coating has vanished into your food!
What should I do instead?
Replace all your plastic cooking utensils (spatulas, spoons, mashers etc), mixing bowls and non-stick pans with non-plastic options like stainless steel. Don’t add plastic to your dishwasher, wash it by hand instead.
Our Published Research
The world-class team of researchers and clinicians at The PERTH Trial are experts on plastics in the human body and have published a number of important research papers in leading journals.
- Randomised controlled trial of a low plastic diet and lifestyle intervention for adults with cardiometabolic risk factors: the Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health (PERTH) trial – a protocol
- The role of endocrine-disrupting phthalates and bisphenols in cardiometabolic disease: the evidence is mounting
- Assessing the contribution of plastic-associated obesogenic compounds to cardiometabolic diseases
- Plastics in human diets: development and evaluation of the 24-h Dietary Recall — Plastic Exposure and the Dietary Plastics Score
- Low-plastic diet and urinary levels of plastic-associated phthalates and bisphenols: the randomized controlled PERTH Trial
- Nature Medicine: Low-plastic diet and urinary levels of plastic-associated phthalates and bisphenols: the randomized controlled PERTH Trial
- The role of endocrine-disrupting phthalates and bisphenols in cardiometabolic disease: the evidence is mounting
- Assessing the contribution of plastic-associated obesogenic compounds to cardiometabolic diseases
- Plastics in human diets: development and evaluation of the 24-h Dietary Recall — Plastic Exposure and the Dietary Plastics Score
- Randomised controlled trial of a low plastic diet and lifestyle intervention for adults with cardiometabolic risk factors: the Plastic Exposure Reduction Transforms Health (PERTH) trial – a protocol
- Plastics in Every Breath: The Silent Respiratory Health Threat We Cannot Avoid
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In the news
- Plastics in Every Breath: The Silent Respiratory Health Threat We Cannot Avoid
- Raising the Bar 2025 - Plastic People: Chemical exposure and our health
- 7 changes you can make to avoid microplastics in your home
- The Plastic Convenience Con: plastic toxicity, exposure and human health
- Could plastics be hiding in your food? New tool helps measure the invisible
- Plastics, Diet and Human Health: The Need for Policy Change – UWA Sustainable Development Goal Report 2025
- The Washington Post: 3 simple ways to reduce your body's exposure to plastic ... Feel like there's nothing you can do about your exposure to plastic? A study suggests you could make a difference in as little as seven days
- Sydney Morning Herald: You can get plastic out of your body, but it's not easy
- The Sunday Times: How cutting back on plastic will improve kids' long-term health
- ABC News: Study shows removing exposure to plastic from our food chain yields quick results
- The West Australian: The Drastic Facts of Plastic
- Research shows fast and effective way to reduce plastics in body
- Philip Defranco on TikTok
- The Health Report
- Why BPA is just the tip of the (plastic covered) iceberg
- 7 News: Plastics heath crisis sparks lifestyle revolution
- Dr Karl Shirtloads of Science Podcast: The Hidden Health Impact of Microplastics with Prof. Michaela Lucas
- Raising the Bar 2025 - Plastic People: Chemical exposure and our health
- The West Australian - Microplastics: UWA conducted PERTH study examines if we can resolve the health harms of plastic
- Body+Soul - 7 changes you can make to avoid microplastics in your home
- The Plastic Convenience Con: plastic toxicity, exposure and human health
- Plastics, Diet and Human Health: The Need for Policy Change – UWA Sustainable Development Goal Report 2025
- Could plastics be hiding in your food? New tool helps measure the invisible
- Microplastics are becoming increasingly small
- The West Australian: UWA conducted PERTH study examines if we can resolve the health harms of plastics
Stage 4: Reproductive Health & Plastics
To register your interest in our next study, Reproductive Health & Plastics, please complete the Expression of Interest form here .