New Study Finds A 'Scary' Amount of Microplastics in Brain Tissue: 'Pretty Alarming'

• Microplastics have been found in an alarming number of human organs, including the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys
• The increase in microplastics in the brain parallels the increase in microplastics in the environment
• Researchers recommend reducing exposure to microplastics by avoiding the use of plastics in food preparation

Microplastics are found in key human organs, including the brain, according to various scientific studies.

Researchers are calling for more urgent and effective measures to reduce plastic pollution after several studies have found tiny microplastics (typically around 5mm in diameter) in a wide range of human organs, including the lungs, reproductive organs, liver, kidneys, knee and elbow joints, blood vessels and bone marrow.

“It is now imperative to declare a global emergency” given the increasing rate of plastic pollution, said Sedat Gündoğdu, who studies microplastics at Cukurova University in Turkey, according to The Guardian.

Although the exact health consequences in humans are not yet fully known, studies have found that microplastics can lead to oxidative stress, which can result in cell damage, inflammation or cardiovascular disease.

And through recent animal studies, researchers have found that microplastics can also cause fertility problems, impaired learning and memory, various types of cancer, and disrupted endocrine and immune systems. The apparent accumulation of tiny pieces in multiple human organs is “scary,” said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The Guardian.

Researchers advise people to reduce their exposure by avoiding the use of plastic in food preparation (eg, microwave ovens) and dust accumulation. In addition, some researchers advise eating less meat, especially processed products.

Microplastics or tiny plastic particles in a glass of water.

pcess609/Getty

Concerns have grown since the National Institutes of Health published a study in May that found that, on average, 91 brain samples contained roughly 10 to 20 times more organelles than other organs (eg, the liver and kidneys), making the brain “one of the largest tissues polluted by plastic still sampled.”

The study’s lead author, Matthew Campen, a toxicologist and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico, said the findings were “quite alarming… There’s a lot more plastic in our brains than I ever imagined or was comfortable with.”

“I don’t know how much more plastic our brains can put in without it causing problems,” added Campen.

Microplastics first discovered in human heart tissue

Another study by Campen examined 12 brain samples from people who had died of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease – and found that the brains contained up to 10 times more plastic, by weight, than healthy samples.

In addition, over an 8-year period from 2016 to 2024, brain samples showed a 50% higher total proportion of microplastics—reflecting a similar increase in the rate of microplastics found in the environment. “You can draw a line – it increases over time. It’s consistent with what you see in the environment,” Campen said.

Macro taken on a pile of non-recyclable microplastics.

Svetlozar Hristov/Getty

Additionally, in a July 2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials study, microplastics were found in all 16 bone marrow samples tested. Every sample contained polystyrene – a plastic used in packing peanuts and electronics – and almost all contained polyethylene, which is used in clear food packaging and detergent bottles.

Similarly, microplastics were found in all 45 samples for a study examining patients with knee or hip surgery.

Another study looked at 312 patients who had fatty deposits or plaques removed from their carotid arteries. Of those, almost 60% of the samples contained microplastics – and those subjects were 2.1 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die.

Microplastic found in the brain after only 4 weeks of exposure

Microplastics at hand.

Getty

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At this time, the United States has no established state standards for plastic particles in food or water. However, the Environmental Protection Agency provides guidelines for measuring them, and since 2018 has issued grants to help researchers develop new ways to effectively detect and quantify microplastics.

The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement: “Current scientific evidence does not indicate that the levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in food pose a risk to human health.”

The United Nations Environment Assembly has begun drafting a global agreement to end plastic pollution worldwide.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education