Date of publication: 26 Mar 2022 • 10 hours ago • 2 minutes reading • 53 Comments Close side with microplastics spread by hand. Concept of water pollution and global warming. Idea for climate change. Getty Images / iStockphoto
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Scientists have for the first time identified traces of microplastics in human blood. Nearly 8 in 10 participants in a Dutch study were found to have plastic particles flowing through their bloodstream.
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“The big question is, what’s going on in our bodies?” asked Professor Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in an interview with The Guardian. “Are the particles stored in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, such as overcoming 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 effect this could have on organs is still unclear, but microplastics have been shown to damage red blood cells in laboratory studies. Microplastic, tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, can be absorbed through food, water and air. They have infected much of the planet, from the contamination of the oceans and fresh snow to the roots of penetrating plants – and are found in the bodies of infants and the placentas of pregnant women.
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Plastic particles are ejected from industrial effluents and plastic products such as bags, packages and water bottles. They are also found in car tires and road signs, as well as in coffee cups and plastic face masks and are emitted from clothes. Previous studies have identified microplastic particles in human cells, where they have been found to cause cell death, allergic reactions and damage to cell walls. The latest study found microplastics in blood samples from 17 of the 22 adults tested. The blood contained multiple sources of plastic, with half of those tested carrying PET plastic, a clear plastic used to make household products and water bottles. The second most common plastic was polystyrene (36 percent), commonly known as styrofoam, followed by polyethylene (23 percent), used for transparent food wrappers and plastic bags.
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The study adapted existing methods for detecting microplastics larger than 0.0007 mm. The researchers collected samples using steel needles and glass tubes to avoid contamination and examined blank samples to determine the presence of microplastics in the background. The research was funded by the Dutch National Agency for Health Research and Development and the Common Seas policy group, which works to reduce plastic pollution. Vethaak said more studies are underway to replicate and expand the findings. He said the different concentrations in the sample could be explained by how soon after the exposure the blood samples were taken, for example how recently a person drank from a plastic cup of coffee. Avoiding microparticles could be a matter of avoiding dependence on plastic bags and containers – and opening a window. Research shows that microplastics remain suspended indoors depending on airflow and are more concentrated in narrower living spaces.
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