Have you ever wondered if you're accidentally eating plastic? Not like chewing on a pen—I'm talking about actual microplastics. Tiny plastic particles that are showing up in our water, food, and now… somehow, even in vegetables.

One study found that the average person consumes about 5 grams of microplastics every week, that's roughly the weight of a credit card.

A recent study published in Nature revealed that plastic particles can enter leaves through multiple pathways, including surface structures like stomata and the cuticle.

Microplastics are defined as plastic particles up to 5 millimeters in diameter. The particles sneak in through tiny pores called stomata, which you can think of as microscopic nostrils for leaves. Once inside, they cruise through the plant's vascular system like they own the place, and settle in little hair-like structures on the leaves.

Outdoor-grown vegetables contain 10 to 100 times more microplastics (specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene) than those grown in greenhouses. Older plants also tend to accumulate higher amounts of plastic. And if the air quality is poor? Plants in polluted environments can absorb up to 10 times more microplastics than those grown in cleaner areas.

Scientists say leaf absorption is actually faster and heavier than root absorption, which basically makes leaves the VIP entrance for plastics into the plant world.

Microplastics might be tiny, but their path through the environment and into what we eat is becoming harder to ignore.