Plastic microparticles discovered in human blood for the first time – National Post

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'The big question is what is happening in our body'

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Scientists have detected traces of micro plastics in human blood for the first time. Nearly 8 in 10 participants in a Dutch study were found to have plastic particles flowing through their bloodstream.

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The big question is what is happening in our body? asked professor Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in an interview with The Guardian. 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 effect this could have on organs is still unclear, but micro plastics have shown to harm red blood cells in lab studies.

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than 5mm, can be absorbed via food, water and the air. They have polluted much of the planet, from contaminating oceans and fresh snow to permeating plant roots and are present in the bodies of infants and placentas of pregnant women.

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Plastic particles are spewed by industrial runoff and from plastic products such bags, packaging and water bottles. They are also found in car tires and road markers as well as coffee cups and plastic face masks, and given off by clothing.

Previous studies have detected microplastic particles in human cells, where they were found to cause cell death, allergic reactions and harm cell walls.

The latest study found microplastic in the blood samples of 17 of the 22 adults tested. The blood contained multiple sources of plastic, with half of those tested carrying the PET plastics, a clear plastic used to make household products and water bottles. The second most widely found plastic was polystyrene (36 per cent), which is commonly known as styrofoam, followed by polyethylene (23 per cent), used for clear food wraps and plastic bags.

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The study adapted existing methods to detect micro plastics greater than 0.0007mm. Researchers collected samples using steel needles and glass tubes to avoid contamination and tested blank samples to determine background presence of micro plastics. The research was funded by Dutch National Organisation for Health Research and Development and the policy group Common Seas, which works to reduce plastic pollution.

Vethaak said more studies are underway to replicate and expand on the findings. He said the different concentrations in the sample could be explained by how soon after exposure the blood samples were taken, for example how recently a subject drank from a plastic coffee cup.

Avoiding micro particles could be a matter of avoiding a reliance on plastic bags and containersand cracking open a window. Research shows micro plastics remain suspended indoors depending on the airflow and are more concentrated in tighter living spaces.

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Plastic microparticles discovered in human blood for the first time - National Post