Microplastics were detected in all human placentas tested in the study, and researchers are concerned about potential health effects on developing fetuses.
Scientists analyzed 62 placental tissue samples and found that the most commonly detected plastic was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. A second study found that all 17 human arteries examined contained microplastics, suggesting that the particles may be associated with blood vessel blockages.
Recently, microplastics have been discovered in human blood and breast milk, indicating that people’s bodies are widely contaminated. Although the health effects are still unknown, microplastics have been shown to damage human cells in the laboratory. Similar to air pollution particles, particles can lodge in tissues and cause irritation, and chemicals in plastics can cause harm.
Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped into the environment, and microplastics are contaminating the entire planet, from the top of Mount Everest to the deep oceans. Humans are known to inhale these particles as well as ingest them through food and water, and they have even been found in the feces of infants and adults.
Professor Matthew Kampen of the University of New Mexico, who led the study, said: “If we can see an effect on the placenta, then all mammalian life on Earth could be affected.” That’s not a good thing. “
He said the mysterious rise in some health problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colon cancer in people under 50, and low sperm counts, could be explained by increased concentrations of microplastics in human tissues. He said it was possible. A 2021 study found that IBD patients had 50% more microplastics in their feces.
Kampen is extremely concerned because the increasing global production of plastic means the problem of microplastics in the environment is “only going to get worse”. said.
This study toxicology According to the journal, microplastics were detected in all placental samples tested, with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue. After polyethylene, PVC and nylon were the most commonly detected plastics.
Microplastics were analyzed by separating them from tissue using chemicals and a centrifuge, heating them and analyzing each plastic’s characteristic chemical signatures. The same technique was used by scientists at Capital Medical University in Beijing, China. Detecting microplastics in human arteries sample.
Microplastics were first detected in placenta samples from four healthy women who had normal pregnancies and births in Italy in 2020.scientists Said: “Microplastics contain substances that can act as endocrine disruptors and have long-term effects on human health.”
The concentration of microplastics in the placenta is particularly problematic, Kampen said. This tissue begins to form about a month after pregnancy, so it only grows for eight months. “Other organs in the body accumulate over a much longer period of time,” he added.
