Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested.
The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.
Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already 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.
The scientists analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors, all healthy adults and found plastic particles in 17. Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made.
"Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood – it’s a breakthrough result,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.” Further studies by a number of groups are already under way, he said.
"It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,” Vethaak told the Guardian. “The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day.
“We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,” he said. “That worries me a lot.”
The new research is published in the journal Environment International and adapted existing techniques to detect and analyse particles as small as 0.0007mm. Some of the blood samples contained two or three types of plastic. The team used steel syringe needles and glass tubes to avoid contamination, and tested for background levels of microplastics using blank samples.
Vethaak acknowledged that the amount and type of plastic varied considerably between the blood samples. “But this is a pioneering study,” he said, with more work now needed. He said the differences might reflect short-term exposure before the blood samples were taken, such as drinking from a plastic-lined coffee cup, or wearing a plastic face mask.
"The big question is what is happening in our body?” Vethaak said. “Are the particles retained in the body? Are they transported to certain organs, such as getting past the blood-brain barrier?” And are these levels sufficiently high to trigger disease? We urgently need to fund further research so we can find out.”
The new research was funded by the Dutch National Organisation for Health Research and Development and Common Seas, a social enterprise working to reduce plastic pollution.
"Plastic production is set to double by 2040,” said Jo Royle, founder of the charity Common Seas. “We have a right to know what all this plastic is doing to our bodies.” Common Seas, along with more than 80 NGOs, scientists and MPs, are asking the UK government to allocate £15m to research on the human health impacts of plastic. The EU is already funding research on the impact of microplastic on foetuses and babies, and on the immune system.
A recent study found that microplastics can latch on to the outer membranes of red blood cells and may limit their ability to transport oxygen. The particles have also been found in the placentas of pregnant women, and in pregnant rats they pass rapidly through the lungs into the hearts, brains and other organs of the foetuses.
A new review paper published on Tuesday, co-authored by Vethaak, assessed cancer risk and concluded: “More detailed research on how micro- and nano-plastics affect the structures and processes of the human body, and whether and how they can transform cells and induce carcinogenesis, is urgently needed, particularly in light of the exponential increase in plastic production. The problem is becoming more urgent with each day.”
Author|Post time 29-3-2022 01:56 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Mula2 iols ingatkan mikroplastik ni dalam skrub peach St Ives je. Banyak cara mikroplastik ni masuk dalam badan. St Ives pun dah berhenti guna mikroplastik.
Doc @ipes2 Mikroplastik ni sama bahaya macam asbestos? Ke lebih bahaya? Ia boleh sempitkan salur darah mcm kerak kolesterol tu ke?
Post time 29-3-2022 11:47 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Edited by mojarean_X at 29-3-2022 11:49 AM
Of course lah. Sah2 hampir semua plastic end up kt ocean otherwise x kan lah smpi wujud The great pacific garbage patch. Iols percaya ikan2 kt laut mkn plastic terapung2 tu dia ingatkan obor2. Thats why munculnya byk NGO mcm The ocean cleanup. Tp rasa mcm misi yg amat mustahil mereka nk bersihkan lautan yg luas tu dari lambakan plastic smpi ada yg dh hancur jd partikel2 kecil
Saintis pernah buat kajian beberapa tahun lepas dalam spring water, fresh water, tap water tu pun ada microplastics, jadi tak hairanlah jika manusia pun sudah jadi manusia plastik sekarang ni.
Tu particle2 halus tu Sher, mmg tiny. Kita pon byk je guna particles sebegini dlm drug delivery systems kita. Tetapi beza nya itu bukan contamination tetapi mmg khas dibuat utk deliver meds dlm darah kita ke target organs.
Dlm research ini, particles yg depa jumpa ini adalah yg kita tidak arranged to be in there; so kiranya agak disappointing lah (kerana ini bermakna dlm environment kita ni penuh dgn particles sebegini). Tapi ini tentulah tidak surprising kerana environment kita dipenuhi dgn elements sebegini. Mereka ini tentu dapat dari mineral water bottles etc. Sy kurang pasti berapa byk types of plastics yg bila u heat up the microwaves, bekas plastics itu reactive lalu melepaskan particles nya ke dlm food kita (dan jika particles itu small enough, tentulah dpt masuk dlm blood vessels).
Mekasih Sher.Dia tk lah rosakkan organs secara begitu (ie depa ni some of them to adalah 10x lebih kecil dari cell darah merah; pada dasarnya, microscopic chemicals mcm ni boleh buat "local reaction" di tempat di mana ia becomes lodged in.. so boleh rosakkan area itu. Dlm context ini, tidak byklah bezanya dgn local allergic reaction or local tissue reactions yg lain. Dan tk la jauh effects mcm asbestos rosakkan lungs dimana ia buat local reactions di lung itu.
Tetapi yg lebih kita tidak suka ialah some if this microparticles ni capai level nano, dsn ini boleh masuk dlm cell kita secara individu dan rosakkan machineries di dalam nya.
Satu lagi ialah depa ni chemicals kan, so boleh buat chemical toxicity. U dan i penuh benda2 ni. Tu bekas2 plastics kita tu tentu melepaskan berjuta tiny particles dari wall nye setiap kali kit mkn tentu particles tapi masuk dlm mulut n perut.. dan some will be small enough utk masuk dlm darah
Post time 29-3-2022 01:50 AM
变色卡
Author
org bodoh2 xbelajar tggi biasanya x ambil tau benda2 mcm ni
Post time 29-3-2022 08:01 PM
