Scientists express concern over health impacts, with another study finding particles in arteries

Scientists express concern over health impacts, with another study finding particles in arteries

Microplastics have been found in every human placenta tested in a study, leaving the researchers worried about the potential health impacts on developing foetuses.

The scientists analysed 62 placental tissue samples and found the most common plastic detected was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. A second study revealed microplastics in all 17 human arteries tested and suggested the particles may be linked to clogging of the blood vessels.

Microplastics have also recently been discovered in human blood and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of people’s bodies. The impact on health is as yet unknown but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in the laboratory. The particles could lodge in tissue and cause inflammation, as air pollution particles do, or chemicals in the plastics could cause harm.

Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics have polluted the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People are known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in, and they have been found in the faeces of babies and adults.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    992·
    10 个月前

    So will microplastics be the new leaded gasoline? Turning every kid into an idiot or an asshole or both?

    • Coasting0942@reddthat.com
      273·
      10 个月前

      Probably just lots of cancers faster.

      The real thing to watch for is if cancer rates just occur closer to retirement age anyways. Cause that could boost the economy.

      • qooqie@lemmy.world
        7·
        10 个月前

        Yup and we already see more colon cancer in young adults which makes sense if we’re eating microplastics. Obviously there’s a lot more that goes into it, but microplastics surely aren’t helping

        • ripcord@lemmy.world
          4·
          10 个月前

          Is there actual data saying that it increases cancer risk? Everything I’m finding says that we have no studies (or enough data) to say what the health impacts actually are.

          Edit: I see some of the sources listed further down. Going through them.

          One thing I did find while searching - plastics in bottled water are 20x higher than tap water. Yet another reason to quit buying so many damn plastic bottles

  • Tarcion@sh.itjust.works
    81·
    10 个月前

    It is crazy that it has become this much of a problem and it feels like it is on almost no one’s radar. Is this even reversible at this point? I assume not, but that it can definitely get worse.

      • nodsocket@lemmy.world
        351·
        10 个月前

        This is true only if you don’t have a constant stream of plastic coming in, which you do.

          • towerful@programming.dev
            4·
            10 个月前

            Simple microplastic composition loss.
            Plastic in has to be less than plastic out.
            When you are happy with your microplastic composition, try and find microplastics you enjoy and can consume in moderation to help maintain your microplastic composition

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
        8·
        10 个月前

        So giving blood doesn’t really remove the micro plastics so much as transfer them to someone else who is in rven worse shape than you are

          • Clubbing4198@lemmy.world
            1·
            10 个月前

            mainly curious about the dialysis. i feel the passive elimination would vary based on demographic, intake, diet etc. i guess you would just need something semipermeable that traps the plastics. trapping plastic with plastic

    • FenrirIII@lemmy.world
      43·
      10 个月前

      Unless we can somehow develop microbes or bacteria that can safely consume and remove these plastics within our bodies, this is forever

  • bigkahuna1986
    53·
    10 个月前

    What the article doesn’t explain is that this is a good trade off. Even though we have microplastics in our bodies in return we’re creating a ton of value for share holders.

    • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      11·
      10 个月前

      And is so plentiful in fish that I once heard a statistic being thrown around when I worked in the industry that somewhere around 2-5% of the fish we eat annually is plastic. That’s a nice chunk of plastic every 20-50 bites.