Microplastics – tiny pieces of plastic less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter – were first detected in human blood.
Scientists in the Netherlands took blood samples from 22 anonymous healthy adult donors and analyzed them for particles as small as 0.00002 inches.
The researchers found that 17 out of 22 volunteers (77.2%) had microplastics in their blood, which was described as “extremely alarming”.
Microplastics have been found in the brain, intestines, placenta of unborn children, and feces of adults and infants, but never before in blood samples.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter, some of which are so small they are not even visible to the naked eye (file photo).
The study was commissioned by Common Seas, a pressure group that is pushing new policies to combat plastic pollution.
The graph shows the concentrations of plastic particles by type of plastic in blood samples from 22 donors: polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). None of the blood samples contained polypropylene (PP)
WE INHALE UP TO 7000 PARTICLES EVERY DAY, NEW RESEARCH SHOWS
Shocking research shows that microplastic particles are now so ubiquitous that we breathe in up to 7,000 particles every day.
The total was 100 times higher than expected, experts say, posing a potential health hazard that could be put on par with asbestos or tobacco.
The study used highly sensitive equipment to count tiny particles smaller than 10 microns – just a tenth of the width of a human hair.
The highest concentration was in the room of an eight-year-old girl, because her bedding, carpet and soft toys were made of synthetic materials.
Read more: Study shows we breathe in up to 7,000 particles a day
“Our study is the first indication that there are polymer particles in our blood – a breakthrough result,” study author Professor Dick Wethaak of the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands told the Guardian.
“But we need to expand the study and increase the sample size, the number of polymers evaluated, etc.”
The study, published in the journal Environment International, tested five types of plastic – polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The researchers found that 50 percent of the blood samples contained polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This was the most common type of plastic in the samples.
PET is a clear, strong and lightweight plastic that is widely used for food and beverage packaging, especially soft drinks, juices and water.
Meanwhile, just over a third (36 percent) contained polystyrene, used for packaging and storage, and almost a quarter (23 percent) contained polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags.
Only one person (5 percent) had polymethyl methacrylate, and none of the blood samples had polypropylene.
It is alarming that the researchers found up to three different types of plastic in a single blood sample.
The differences between those who had microplastics in their blood and those who didn’t could be related to exposure to plastic immediately prior to blood sampling.
So, for example, one volunteer who tested positive for microplastics in his blood may have recently been drinking from a plastic-lined coffee cup.
Microplastics enter waterways in a variety of ways and remain suspended in the liquid. From the water, they can be ingested with seafood or absorbed by plants.
A 2021 study found that microplastic particles can cause cell death, damage to cell walls, and allergic reactions in humans. The picture shows shredded plastic on a plate with a bunch of plates – so many people eat in a year.
The health effects of consuming microplastics are currently unclear, although last year’s study claimed it could cause cell death and allergic reactions in humans.
According to another 2021 study, microplastics can cause gut inflammation, gut microbiome disturbances, and other problems in non-human animals, and can also cause inflammatory bowel disease in humans.
PLANT SECRETIONS CAN FILTER LITTLE PLASTIC FROM WATER, STUDIES SAY
The natural secretion of edible plants, including okra, can filter out microplastics from water, according to a new study.
The mucous secretion, called mucus, contains chemicals called “flocculating agents,” meaning they stick together in water to form hard flakes.
When they stick together, they carry tiny microplastics with them and are easier to remove.
Read more: Study finds okra slime can remove microplastics from water
Another study published last year showed that microplastics can deform human cell membranes and affect how they function.
However, more research is needed on their potential harm, Prof. Wethaak said.
“The big question is what happens in our body?” he said. — Particles linger in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, for example by crossing the blood-brain barrier? And are these levels high enough to cause disease? We urgently need to fund further research so that we can find out.”
The study was commissioned by Common Seas, a pressure group that is pushing new policies to combat plastic pollution.
“This finding is extremely troubling,” said Common Seas chief executive Joe Royle.
“We are already eating, drinking and breathing plastic. It is located in the deepest sea trench and on top of Mount Everest. And yet, by 2040, plastics production will double.”
Dr Fay Couseiro, a senior researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said previous attempts to measure microplastics in blood likely had plastic contamination in the samples in the air or from equipment.
“The paper is actually a method paper showing that it is possible to detect plastic in blood and how to do it,” said Dr. Couseiro, who was not involved in the study.
“This study took this issue seriously and addressed it in several ways by taking large numbers of blank samples and including recovery data.
“The limitations of the article are that this is just a sample of 22 people and there is no data on what levels of exposure these people might have had.”
Dr. Cuceiro said more research is urgently needed in this area.
Professor Wethaak said members of the public who are concerned about ingesting microplastics can take precautions.
These include opening windows in the home, as microplastic concentrations tend to be higher inside buildings than outside, and limiting contact between plastic and the food we eat.
Microplastics are also known to find their way into the food we eat (including fresh seafood and fish fingers), water sources, the air, and even the snow on Mount Everest.
A 2019 study already showed that people inadvertently consume tens of thousands of these particles every year.
A WWF report, also published in 2019, states that we all inadvertently ingest enough plastic to fill a bowl of cereal (125 grams) every six months.
At this level of consumption, we could eat 2.5 kg of plastic in a decade, which is about the size of a standard lifeline.
Microplastics are also known to find their way into the food we eat (including fresh seafood and fish fingers), water sources, the air, and even the snow on Mount Everest.
Since the 1950s, it is estimated that more than 70 million tons of microplastics have been dumped into the oceans as a result of industrial manufacturing processes.
WHAT CAN MICROPLASTICS DO TO THE HUMAN organ IF THEY ENTER OUR FOOD STOCKS?
According to an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, our understanding of the potential impacts of microplastics on human health “represents major knowledge gaps.”
People can be exposed to plastic particles through the consumption of seafood and land based foods, drinking water and air.
However, the level of human exposure, chronic toxic effect concentrations, and the underlying mechanisms by which microplastics cause exposure are still not well understood to allow a full human risk assessment.
According to Rachel Adams, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University, ingesting microplastics can cause a number of potentially harmful effects, such as:
- Inflammation: When inflammation occurs, the body’s white blood cells and the substances they produce protect us from infection. This normally protective immune system can cause tissue damage.
- An immune response to something deemed “foreign” in the body: These immune responses can harm the body.
- Become carriers of other toxins that enter the body: Microplastics usually repel water and bind to toxins that do not dissolve, so microplastics can bind to compounds containing toxic metals such as mercury and organic pollutants such as certain pesticides and chemicals called dioxins. which are known to cause cancer as well as reproductive and developmental problems. If these microplastics are ingested, toxins can accumulate in fatty tissues.