The alarm regarding microplastics now it has been noticeable for years. These are the tiny fragments of plastic that are scattered throughout the environment, especially in the oceans, that can get into the blood and enter the circulatory system of both humans and fish. And now, in this regard and in relation to men, it comes disturbing evidence from investigations conducted in the Netherlands and coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
The results of the study, published in the journal Environment International, come from a research group led by the ecotoxicologist. Heather Leslie and from chemistry Maria Lamoreeas part of a project called Immunoplast.
The data were collected thanks to the analysis of the Blood donations from 22 people under anonymity: Traces of five polymers, or molecules, which are actually the building blocks, the smallest pieces that make up plastic. Blood concentrations were measured for each polymer. Moral of the story, there were traces of plastic in three quarters of the 22 samples examined, the most common material being PET or polyethylene terephthalate, the material the bottles are made of.
A lot has been measured by Pet 1.6 micrograms per milliliter of blood, the equivalent of one plastic teaspoon per thousand liters of water (an amount equivalent to ten large bathtubs). Polystyrene used for packaging is also very common in the blood, hence polymethyl methacrylate or plexiglass.
In a second step, the research will aim to understand how easily the plastic particles can get from the blood into the organs. “This is the first data of its kind and now more needs to be collected to understand how much microplastic is in the human body and how dangerous it can be. Thanks to the new data, it will be possible to determine whether exposure to microplastics poses a threat to the human body and public health,” Lamoree explained when presenting the research results.