Bits of microplastics appear in human tissues, according to new research.
A team from Arizona State University found nanoplastic particles in all 47 samples of a variety of human organs, including lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys.
“You can find plastic that contaminates the environment in just about every location in the world, and in a few short decades we have disappeared from seeing plastic as a wonderful advantage to consider it a threat,” said Charles Rolsky , director of science for Plastic Oceans International, who will present the new research at an upcoming virtual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), said in an ACS statement.
Using a mass spectrometer, they found each sample to hold traces of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene (PE), all common plastics. They also found traces of bisphenol A (BPA), a material used in food containers.
Microplastics are very naturally occurring and have been found earlier in the deepest points of the oceans of our planet, and even in most seabirds.
The research builds on previous work that has also shown that microplastics make their way through our bodies. A 2019 study found that 97 percent of blood and urine samples collected from about 2,500 children in Germany between the ages of three and 17 show toxic levels of plastic byproducts. A 2018 study showed similar results: 20 particles of plastic per ten grams of human stool samples.
The Arizona State work, however, offers an unusual level of detail.
“The tissue donors provided detailed information about their exposures to lifestyle, diet and occupation,” said Rolf Halden, PhD at Arizona State University who oversees the research, in the statement. “Because these donors have such well-defined histories, our study provides the first indications of potential sources and pathways for micro- and nanoplastic exposure.”
We still do not know the health impact of plastic in our bodies, let alone our organs.
“There is evidence that plastic is making its way into our bodies, but very few studies have looked for it,” Rolsky said. “And at this point, we do not know if this plastic is just a nuisance or if it is a danger to human health.”
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