Microplastics are in our blood: can this new London clinic really get rid of them?

Studies have found microplastics in almost every part of the human body, from the brain to the heart... but there could be a science-backed solution

Illustration showing the interaction of erythrocytes with plastic microparticles in blood, showing particle movement and deposition after entering bloodstream via ingestion, inhalation or absorption

Getty Images/Science Photo Libra

Claudia Cockerell

16 March 2025

Flesh, blood — and plastic. That’s what we’re made from these days, with studies finding microplastics in almost every part of the human body, from the brain to the heart.

These tiny particles are almost impossible to avoid in modern life. Drinking bottled water, chewing gum and eating shellfish are some of the worst offenders for ingesting microplastics. But in truth, they are everywhere. Microplastics from polyester clothing can leach into our skin, synthetic carpets release them into the air and when you walk down a busy road, you’ll be breathing in microplastics shed from car tyres.

Researchers are still looking into the effect this has on the body, but preliminary findings have linked microplastics to inflammation, organ dysfunction, decreased reproductive health and cancer. As awareness of the issue grows, a potentially lucrative opportunity is opening up for science-backed solutions.

Leading the charge is London-based Clarify Clinics, which opened last November and occupies a grand 19th-century townhouse off Harley Street. Its founders are American father-daughter duo David and Yael Cohen.

They make a bold claim: they say their Clari procedure can remove between 90 and 99 per cent of microplastics from the bloodstream.

First, clients are hooked up to a cannula so their blood can flow into a machine to separate the red and white blood cells from plasma, which carries microplastics and other toxins, such as pesticides.

The plasma then flows through the “Clari column” — a device created by emerging biotech company Marker Health — which traps the toxins. The plasma and blood cells are then recombined and returned to your body. “It is effectively a swimming pool pump for your plasma,” explains David.

The treatment doesn’t come cheap: a single two-hour session costs £9,750 and the founders recommend one to three sessions a year to keep microplastic levels in the blood down.

“It’s absolutely something that keeps me up at night, having spent the last 15 years of my life in the non-profit space,” says Yael of the hefty price tag.

She founded the charity F*** Cancer after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and father and daughter became investors in the preventative healthcare space. The company is in its infancy and the science is still a little hazy. Clinical trials have not yet taken place, although there have been laboratory tests in the US using bovine plasma. “The FDA were adamant we did not use human plasma to test in the lab,” says David.

The bovine plasma tests form the basis for that 90 to 99 per cent reduction figure.

“It would be important for any company making such claims to make data and reports publicly available,” says Dr Matthew Campen, who leads toxicology research at the University of New Mexico. He also warns that “such treatments may be short-lived and may be easily changed based on plastics exposures in the diet”.

What’s the aim for Clarify Clinics? “Getting this into the hands of people who need it, bringing that cost down and expanding it to markets that make sense,” says Yael.

For now, those who are worried about microplastics but can’t afford to drop £10,000 on a maverick procedure can instead opt for lifestyle changes which reduce exposure: wear natural fibre clothing, ditch food that comes in plastic packaging and, of course, buy a plastic-free reusable water bottle.

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Microplastics are in our blood: can this new London clinic really get rid of them?

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