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Microplastics are invading almost every cavity of the human body as scientists have detected tiny particles in semen, breast milk and even brain tissue.
Researchers have long known about pieces of plastic in the environment, but it wasn’t until recently that they developed a technique to see them in our organs, tissues and blood.
Microplastics, which measure less than five millimeters long, enter our bodies through plastic packaging, certain foods, tap water and even the air we breathe.
From there they enter our bloodstream and cause untold damage. They have been linked to the development of cancer, heart disease and dementia, as well as fertility problems.
Previous research has shown that, on average, people ingest about five grams of plastic each week, the equivalent of a credit card, and these particles accumulate in certain organs, tissues and even in the blood.
Microplastics have gained a lot of attention due to their prevalence and abundance in our daily lives.
They have also been found almost everywhere in the world: from the deepest place on the planet, from the Mariana Trench to the top of Mount Everest.
Countless studies have also detected small particles in household items. such as sugar, salt, honey, seafood, tap water, water bottles, and plastic-wrapped foods.
Previous research has shown that, on average, people ingest about five grams of plastic each week, the equivalent of a credit card, said Dianna Cohen, executive director of the nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Once ingested, these small particles can travel to internal organs such as the kidney and liver and cause adverse effects at the cellular level.
Countless studies have also detected small particles in household items such as sugar, salt (pictured), honey, shellfish, tap water, water bottles, and plastic-wrapped foods.
Brain
Researchers at Vassar College in upstate New York joined an Austrian team to investigate whether toxins—found in everything from food packaging to plastic water bottles—could cross the blood-brain barrier in humans. mice.
Once plastics reach the brain, they can cause inflammation and interfere with neuron processes, according to the 2023 study.
Lukas Kenner from MedUni Vienna saying: “In the brain, plastic particles could increase the risk of inflammation, neurological disorders or even neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.”
The team found that polystyrene particles, which are used in foam food packaging, appeared in the brain just two hours after ingestion.
Another study the same year analyzed 15 brain tissue samples and discovered six pieces of plastic from two patients who had tumors.
Semen
The majority of particles in the testes were polystyrene (PS, 68%), while polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the predominant types in semen.
Scientists at Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing detected microplastics in human semen last year.
The team collected 30 semen samples and six testicles from patients and found that 11 semen samples and four testicles had tiny particles.
Most of the particles in the testes were polystyrene (PS, 68 percent), while polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the predominant types in semen.
Polyethylene is used in packaging and polyvinyl chloride can be found in everything from drain pipes to window frames and car seat covers.
Researchers involved in the study suggested that the decrease in sperm count could be due to exposure to microplastics.
Heart
Microplastics, which measure less than five millimeters long, enter our bodies through plastic packaging, tap water and even the air we breathe.
The tiny particles were first found in the heart in 2023 by a team from Anzhen Hospital in Beijing, China, who collected heart tissue and blood samples from 15 patients undergoing heart surgery.
Microplastics were found in all blood samples and in heart tissue.
In the blood, plastics can stick to the outer membrane of red blood cells and affect their ability to carry oxygen.
Nine different plastics were found in five types of heart tissue.
Microscopic particles of poly(methyl methacrylate), a plastic commonly used as a tough alternative to glass, were found in three different parts of the heart, which the researchers said “cannot be attributed to accidental exposure during surgery.”
Other plastics found included polyethylene terephthalate, used in clothing and food packaging, and PVC.
Tens to thousands of individual pieces of microplastic were discovered, but the quantities varied between patients.
breast milk
In 2022, scientists made a surprising discovery when they found microplastics in human breast milk for the first time.
A team from the Polytechnic University of Marche in Italy analyzed milk samples from 34 healthy mothers and found that microscopic plastic particles were detected in three quarters of them.
The milk samples containing plastic each had between one and five microparticles.
The particles came from PVC, polyethylene and polypropylene, all common plastics in materials ranging from plastic bottles and packaging to synthetic leather, tiles and furniture coverings.
Kidney, spleen and liver
In 2020, researchers set out to see if microplastics could be found in the human body after particles were found around the world.
A team from Arizona State University found the first evidence when they analyzed 47 tissue samples, revealing many of the particles accumulated in the liver, spleen and kidneys.
Principal Investigator Rolf Halden saying: “We have detected these chemicals from plastics in each of the organs we have investigated.”
Placenta
These optical microscope images show microplastics in human placenta samples. The bottom row is illuminated with UV light to show how much plastic remains in the sample, even after the fabric has been processed.
Microplastics were found in human placentas last month after a team from the University of New Mexico tested 62 women’s placentas and found that each contained small pieces of plastic less than five millimeters long.
The particles ranged in size from 6.5 to 790 micrograms, with an average concentration of 128.6 micrograms per gram of donated placenta.
The most common plastics found in the samples were those used in plastic bags and bottles, accounting for 54 percent, while materials used in construction and nylon accounted for 10 percent, and the remainder were nine other plastics.
Lungs
Researchers from the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School detected microplastics in live human lungs for the first time in 2022.
The findings were the first to show that we breathe particles from the air.
The study found 39 microplastics in 11 of the 13 lung tissue samples analyzed, a significantly higher amount than any previous laboratory test.