A new study has found a dramatic increase in levels of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in human brains in recent years. MNPs have previously been detected in human lungs, intestine, bone marrow and placenta. In the new study, researchers took one tissue sample from the brain, kidney and liver of 80 people autopsied in 2016 […]
  • echolaliaEnglish
    3·
    6 hours ago

    please read the article before panicking, this shit is mega complicated:

    Brains of people with dementia had up to 10 times more MNPs than other brains but that doesn’t mean MNPs had caused dementia. The elevated rate was likely a result of damage to the blood-brain barrier from the neurodegenerative disease, the authors said.

    The study didn’t find more plastic in the brains of older people with more lifetime exposure, suggesting the brain can clear itself of MNPs, Campen said.

    however:

    Previous studies have found microplastics associated with certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and harm to human reproductive, digestive and respiratory health.

    although, if you’re ingesting a lot of microplastics, maybe you are also ingesting a lot of other pollutants (or maybe you’re just eating a ton of processed food, and this trash food has more microplastics in it), and the microplastics are correlated in this way.

    • VeganPizza69 Ⓥ@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      6 hours ago

      and this trash food has more microplastics in it

      It’s not just in it, it’s the packaging too, and it’s the fat content, because fat usually helps with moving that plastic (and many other things). Packaging also refers to the containers used for food delivery.

      from this paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993623000808

      If you’re only focusing on “processed foods”, you’re missing the bigger problem.

      • echolaliaEnglish
        1·
        5 hours ago

        I didn’t mean to imply it only came from trash food, I only intended to show one/two examples where associated cancer risk [edit: could be] correlated and not causal.

        I am not saying microplastics are neutral. I am saying that the title of this article is clickbatey.