Scientists concerned about finding plastic particles in arteries
Microplastics were found in every human placenta tested in the study, leading researchers to worry about potential health effects on developing fetuses.
The scientists analyzed 62 placental tissue samples and found that the most common plastic found was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. According to The Guardian, the second study found microplastics in all 17 human arteries tested and suggested that the particles may be associated with blockages of blood vessels.
Microplastics have also recently been detected in human blood and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination in humans. The health effects are still unknown, but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in laboratory conditions. The particles can settle in tissues and cause inflammation, just as air pollution particles do, or the chemicals in plastics can cause harm.
Huge amounts of plastic waste are being released into the environment, and microplastics have polluted the entire planet , from the top of Everest to the deepest oceans, says The Guardian. People are known to ingest and inhale the tiny particles in food and water, and they have been found in the feces of infants and adults.
Professor Matthew Campen, from the University of New Mexico, US, who led the study, said: “If we see effects on the placenta, then this could affect the entire life of mammals on this planet. This is not good.”
The scientist noted that increasing concentrations of microplastics in human tissue may explain the mysterious rise in some health problems, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colon cancer in people under 50, and low sperm counts. A 2021 study found that people with IBD had 50% more microplastics in their stool.
Kampen said he is deeply concerned about the growing global production of plastics because it means there is a microplastic problem in the environment environment “is only getting worse.”
The study, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, found microplastics in all placenta samples tested at concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue. PVC and nylon were the most common plastics found after polyethylene.
The microplastics were analyzed using chemicals and a centrifuge to separate them from the tissue, then they were heated and the characteristic chemical properties of each plastic were analyzed. The same method was used by scientists at Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, to detect microplastics in samples of human arteries.
Microplastics were first detected in placentas in 2020 in samples taken from four healthy women who had normal pregnancy and childbirth in Italy. The scientists said: “Microplastics contain substances that, by acting as endocrine disruptors, may have long-term effects on human health.”
The concentration of microplastics in placentas was particularly alarming, Kampen said. The tissue only takes eight months to grow as it begins to form about a month after pregnancy. “Other organs in your body accumulate over much longer periods of time,” the professor added.
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