Microplastics infiltrate brain tissue, studies show
Twenty-four brain samples collected in early 2024 measured an average of about 0.5% of plastic by weight
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that microplastics accumulate in critical human organs, including the brain, prompting researchers to call for more urgent measures to curb plastic pollution. Studies have found tiny pieces and particles of plastic in human lungs, placentas, reproductive organs, liver, kidneys, knee and elbow joints, blood vessels and bone marrow. Given the research findings, "it is now imperative to declare a global emergency" to tackle plastic pollution, said Sedat Gündoğdu, who studies microplastics at Cukurova University in Turkey. Humans are exposed to microplastics – defined as fragments smaller than 5 mm in diameter – and chemicals used to make plastics from widespread plastic pollution in the air, water and even food.
There is far more plastic in our brains than I ever imagined or was comfortable with Matthew Campen, University of New Mexico
The health hazards of microplastics in the human body are not yet well known. Recent studies are just beginning to suggest that they may increase the risk of various conditions such as oxidative stress, which can lead to cell damage and inflammation, as well as cardiovascular disease. Animal studies have also linked microplastics to fertility problems, various types of cancer, disrupted endocrine and immune systems, and impaired learning and memory. There are currently no government standards for plastic particles in food or water in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency is working on guidelines for their measurement, and since 2018 has been awarding grants to develop new ways to rapidly detect and quantify them. Finding microplastics in an increasing number of human organs "raises a lot of concern," given what we know about the health effects in animals, studies of human cells in the laboratory and emerging epidemiological studies, said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University Gothenburg in Sweden. "It's terrifying, I'd say."
'Quite alarming'
In one of the most recent studies to appear – document ahead of a still-under-peer print published online by the National Institutes of Health—researchers found a particularly troubling accumulation of microplastics in brain samples. Examining the liver, kidneys and brain of autopsy bodies found that they all contain microplastics, but the 91 brain samples contained on average about 10 to 20 times more than the other organs. The results were shocking, according to study lead author Matthew Campen, a toxicologist and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico. The researchers found that 24 brain samples, which were collected in early 2024, averaged about 0.5% of plastic by weight. "It's quite alarming," Campen said."There's a lot more plastic in our brains than I ever imagined or was comfortable with." The study describes the brain as "one of the most plastic-contaminated tissues ever sampled."
A preprint brain study led by Campen also hinted at a troubling connection. In the study, scientists examined 12 brain samples from people who died of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. These brains contained up to 10 times more plastic by weight than healthy samples. "I don't know how much more plastic our brains can take without it causing problems," Campen said. The paper also found that the amount of microplastics in brain samples from 2024 was about 50% higher than the total amount in samples dating back to 2016, suggesting that the concentration of microplastics found in human brains is increasing at a similar rate to that found in the environment. Most of the organs came from the medical examiner's office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which investigates premature or violent deaths. “You can draw a line – it increases over time. It's consistent with what you see in the environment," Campen said. Much other work has found microplastics in the brains of other animal species, so it's not entirely surprising that the same could be true for humans, said Almroth of the University of Gothenburg, who was not involved in the work. When it comes to these sneaky particles, "the blood-brain barrier is not as protective as we'd like to think," Almroth said, referring to the series of membranes that prevent many chemicals and pathogens from reaching the central nervous system.
An explosion of research
Adding to concerns about accumulation in the human body, the Journal of Hazardous Materials reported the study last month that found microplastics in all 16 bone marrow samples examined, the first work of its kind. All of the samples contained polystyrene, which is used to make packaging for peanuts and electronics, and almost all contained polyethylene, which is used in clear food wrappers, detergent bottles and other common household products. Another recent paper that studied 45 patients undergoing hip or knee surgery in Beijing, China found microplastics in the membranous sheath of every single hip or knee joint examined. A study published May 15 in the journal Toxicological Sciences found microplastics in all 23 human and 47 dog testicles studied, finding that the human samples had nearly three times the concentration of the canine ones. Higher amounts of certain types of plastic particles – including polyethylene, a major component of plastic water bottles – have been linked to lower testicular weight in dogs.
The second paper, which appeared on June 19 in International Journal of Impotence Research, found plastic particles in the penises of four out of five men who had penile implants to treat erectile dysfunction. "The potential health effects are worrisome, especially considering the unknown long-term consequences of microplastics accumulating in sensitive tissues such as the reproductive organs," said Ranjith Ramasamy, the study's lead author and a medical researcher and urologist at the University of Miami. Meanwhile, the Chinese group announced in May the study which shows small amounts of microplastics in the semen of all 40 participants. Italian newspaper from a few months ago he published similar results. A handful of studies have also found contamination in human placentas. A study appearing in the May issue of the journal Toxicological Sciences reported finding micro- and nanoplastics in all 62 placenta samples, although the concentration ranged widely. In Italy, researchers followed 312 patients who had fatty deposits or plaques removed from the carotid artery. Nearly six in 10 had microplastics, and those people fared worse than those who didn't: Over the next 34 months, they were 2.1 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die.
Conclusion
Although our organisms are miraculously created, detoxification of the organism is very important to help our body function more easily. We can't put ourselves under a glass bell, but we can at least reduce that microplastic that has accumulated everywhere in our body by cleaning the organism.
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Reported by the Guardian
