Microplastics found in human blood for first time

According to a Dutch study, microscopic plastic particles have been found in human blood for the first time. Plastic particles were found in the blood of 80% of the study participants, according to the findings, which were published in the journal Environment International. This implies that plastic particles can pass through the body and possibly lodge in organs. In a previous thread, I shared some different research. In it, microplastics were discovered in the feces of babies and adults in that study, indicating that people were ingesting plastic particles through food and water, as well as inhaling them through the air. Although the entire ramifications of this new study are still unknown, I find the discoveries alarming, especially given previous research showing that microplastics can harm human cells.

I'm sure someone will come along and say: "Plastics are great and do not cause us any harm."

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.”

Microplastics found in human blood for first time

Isn't it in the mother's milk also?

Why aren't we banning single-use plastic? We're absolutely destroying the earth and now our bodies for convenience.

Very little of this surprises me though.

I know, I am guilty of washing baby bottles with what is essentially a steel wool on a stick, then sticking them in a steriliser. They probably etched the inside surface of the bottle over time, releasing plastic particles into the milk. You will probably find that as I scraped milk powder out of the box, I scraped loose plastic from the manufacturing process of the container or scoop as well.

That's before we even look at dust particles in the home. Scraping off small amounts of everything as you clean sideboards, painted surfaces, etc.

We have been destroying generations, like those before us did with asbestos.

Folks heat up food in plastic containers in the microwave .
What else can one expect ?

I like how they use steel and glass in these tests, both safe and recyclable. But we are good with plastics, regardless of micro-plastic particles or the massive floating trash pile in the Pacific. Plastic should have highly regulated and restricted uses IMO. There are a host of other materials that can be used, but I believe it comes down to the cheapest lightest material in order to maintain profits.

Glass, it's not as light weight and is fragile, but it's natural, nontoxic and breaks down into sand. Sand is the most common and abundant soil on Earth. It can be reused and recycled in many ways.

Steel is recyclable and reusable.

Aluminum is light weight and easy to recycle (somewhat toxic though).

Ceramics with nontoxic glaze is good and safe.

Waxed cardboard cartons, as in milk or juice cartons, that works pretty well.

I don't think there are that many uses that absolutely require plastics, but it is cheap and easy for industrial mass production.

I saw a biologist 15 years ago on tv say that she analysed the supermarket food she was buying, and everything wrapped in plastic absorbed a small part of it that we would then be ingesting.

She said from that moment on, she only bought food that was not wrapped in plastic.

The problem probably began the day we started using modern plastics.

It is more than a bit alarming...

I'm pretty sure that those plastic particles have been in most Americans blood for a while now. They finally tested for it, they probably did not want to test for it here much because they were afraid that the evidence might go viral. These plastics can cause lots of problems one of which is their endocrine disruption effects can strongly increase insulin resistance.

There is no way to get away from this, it seems that almost all food has some exposure to plastics these days, it may not be in a plastic bag when you get it, but usually it has had exposure to plastic during it's processing and delivery. Those plastic gloves are wore by lots of workers in the food industry and they contribute to this.

Dryer lint is a big vector. Most people wear polyester, and "fleece" type fabric gives off such excessive amounts of fibers that go in the lint trap of clothes dryers. When I empty my lint trap, a cloud of fibers are released into the air to be breathed and injested.

This should be helpful to all who are interested . . .

Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data

EPA defines containers and packaging as products that are assumed to be discarded the same year the products they contain are purchased. Containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal solid waste (MSW), amounting to 82.2 million tons of generation in 2018 (28.1 percent of total generation). Packaging is the product used to wrap or protect goods, including food, beverages, medications and cosmetic products. Containers and packaging are used in the shipping, storage and protection of products. They also provide sales and marketing benefits.

This web page provides an overview of data on containers and packaging in municipal solid waste (MSW). For more comprehensive information on this category of MSW, see the 2018 Data Tables on the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report page.

www.epa.gov...

a reply to: tamusan Life in plastic, its fantastic.