About Particula
Particula is an independent environmental health tool built to make peer-reviewed microplastics research accessible and personally actionable. Here's exactly what it is, who built it, and what it can and can't tell you.
Who built this
Ralph Lopez
Independent environmental health researcher · Particula founder
Ralph is not a doctor, an environmental scientist, or an academic. He's someone who spent the better part of two years inside the microplastics research literature after a question he couldn't shake: how much plastic am I actually taking in every day, and from where?
The question started simply enough — he'd read about microplastics being detected in human blood and wanted to understand what that meant personally. What he found was that the science was far more specific and actionable than the mainstream coverage suggested. Researchers had quantified exposure from tea bags, nylon utensils, and plastic food storage with surprising precision. But there was no tool that let an individual map their own behavioral exposure against that research.
So he built one. The Particula assessment went through several iterations over eighteen months, drawing on 34 peer-reviewed studies to calibrate the scoring model. He scored in the High tier on the first version he ran on himself. That motivated the protocol.
What Ralph brings to this: a research synthesis approach, a commitment to honest evidence-grading (distinguishing what's been shown in humans from what's been shown in animal models), and a deliberate choice not to overclaim. Particula does not say microplastics will make you sick. It says the research justifies precautionary action, and this is what that looks like in practice.
What this tool is
The Particula assessment estimates your microplastic exposure based on 30 behavioral inputs — your cooking materials, water source, diet patterns, home environment, and daily habits. It is not a blood test. It does not measure the microplastics in your body. It estimates the likely daily particle load you're taking in, based on published research on how much each behavior contributes to total exposure.
The scoring model draws on population-level exposure studies, particularly Cox et al. (2019) and the WHO's 2019 review of microplastics in drinking water, which provided the most comprehensive behavioral-to-exposure mapping available. Category weightings reflect the relative contribution of each exposure pathway to total daily intake as estimated in the published literature.
What the score tells you: where your exposure sits relative to the population average, and which behaviors are your highest-leverage reduction opportunities. It is a starting point for action, not a verdict.
What the score does not tell you: how much microplastic is in your body, what your personal health risk is, or whether you will experience any health effects. Those connections remain under active scientific investigation, and Particula will not overstate them.
The science — honestly graded
The Particula protocol and assessment use a three-tier evidence classification. Every recommendation is grounded in at least one of these:
| Evidence level | What it means | Examples in this protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed in humans | Human evidence Detected in human tissue at population scale; exposure-behavior relationships established in peer-reviewed human studies. | Microplastics in blood (Leslie et al., 2022), in placenta (Ragusa et al., 2021), in lung tissue (Ibrahim et al., 2021). Tea bag particle release (Hernandez et al., 2019). Bottled water concentration (Schymanski et al., 2018). |
| Animal evidence, not yet confirmed in humans | Animal model Mechanistic effects demonstrated in controlled animal studies at comparable exposure levels. Cannot be directly extrapolated to humans but provides meaningful signal. | Gut barrier disruption, liver inflammation, endocrine interference at high exposure (Rochman et al., 2013). Immune system effects. Placental transfer effects. |
| Emerging or in vitro | Emerging Cell culture (in vitro) studies or very early population research. Provides mechanistic plausibility but not exposure-effect confirmation. | Specific inflammatory pathway activation; nanoplastic cell penetration studies. |
The precautionary case for acting on incomplete evidence is reasonable when: (1) the interventions are low-risk — switching to a stainless steel water bottle carries no health downside; (2) the exposure is behavioral and therefore modifiable; and (3) the biological plausibility for harm is established even if human dose-response data is incomplete. All three conditions apply here.
Particula will update its evidence grading as the human research matures. The current scientific consensus, as reflected in WHO (2019), is that the evidence warrants precautionary action — not alarm, but informed behavior change.
Research basis
The Particula assessment and protocol are built on 34 peer-reviewed sources. The studies most central to the scoring model and recommendations are listed below. Full citations appear in the Defense Protocol guide.
Honest limitations
The assessment estimates, it does not measure. Your actual microplastic body burden requires laboratory analysis of blood, stool, or tissue samples — tests not widely available to consumers and not required to make the behavioral changes the protocol recommends.
Individual variation is real. Two people with identical assessment scores may have different body burdens based on metabolism, gut barrier integrity, age, and genetics. The scoring model reflects population averages, not individual biology.
The science is incomplete. Human dose-response data for microplastics is actively being developed. Particula will not tell you with confidence that your score will cause specific health effects. What the research does support: that behavioral exposure is modifiable, and that the interventions in the protocol carry no meaningful downside risk.
This is not medical advice. The Particula assessment and Defense Protocol are informational resources. They do not constitute medical diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any supplement protocol.