As per Warren’s post, these sponges can contain up to 50 different chemicals, many of which are hormone-disrupting. He also states that every time you clean a plate, you could be leaving behind chemical residues that can end up in your next meal. Every swipe of a sponge can leave behind microplastics as well, and studies link those microplastics to heart disease, dementia, and immune disruption, he adds. As per him, that bright yellow color of your sponge is mostly cellulose (a breeding ground for bacteria) and in fact, up to 45 Billion bacterial microorganisms per cm² have been found in these sponges. And when you ingest those bacteria, they can wreck your gut microbiome and potentially cause inflammation, bloating, or worse, he confirms.
