If you live in a big city, listen to popular podcasts, or watch Millennial YouTubers, you may have seen or heard an ad that suggests detergent pods are contributing to microplastics pollution.There's no getting around it: Polyvinyl alcohol (referred to as PVA/PVOH in this article), the main ingredient in detergent-pod film, is technically a plastic. And nearly all of it is derived (at least in part) from petroleum. But (and this is a big but) that doesn’t mean detergent pods dissolve into microplastics.In fact, there’s little credible scientific evidence proving pods are a significant source of microplastics, or even nanoplastics, pollution. It’s likely that you already encounter PVA/PVOH daily in items such as eye drops, contact lenses, bandages, cosmetics, and, yes, detergent pods. Until a few years ago, the scientific consensus was that PVA/PVOH used in detergent pods is both safe and biodegradable.Today, that assertion is ferociously debated online by influencers, reps for detergent brands, and even some scientists. And that’s not a coincidence — it’s marketing. I’ve spent years investigating the question of detergent pods as well as testing them. Here are the biggest lessons I’ve learned: Detergent pods are made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVOH), which is indeed a type of plastic.But there’s good reason to be skeptical of marketing claims warning of health and environmental risks associated with the film on detergent pods.For years, regulators have considered the film on pods to be safe. It's used in countless everyday items.Scientists I’ve spoken with assert that because pod film dissolves into liquid, it is more readily broken down by microorganisms in the environment than traditional hard plastics. Still, most detergent-pod film (PVA/PVOH) is derived from petrochemicals. If you are trying to reduce your use of petroleum-derived products, you might want to consider using other detergents.