The Known Harms of Microplastics

by Julia Rajagopalan

With a surly, lip-glossed frown, the judgy grocery store cashier scans my cases of bottled water. She glares and tells me about a TikTok she watched about how microplastics appeared in 100% of semen samples. As I hand her the carton of eggs, I ask her about the health effects of microplastics, but she admits she doesn’t know. When I explain I don’t have semen, testicles, or TikTok, she rings a bell for her manager. The island-shirted man, bearded and verbose, tells me I can’t harass the cashiers with words like semen and testicles, and that “she said it first” isn’t a defense. So I get in my car and scream while pounding on my steering wheel, then drive to another store.

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Julia Rajagopalan is a writer of speculative fiction who lives just outside of Detroit, Michigan, with her husband and their very grumpy dog. For a list of her publications, check out her website.