Potential health impact of microplastics in our bodies

Ever since I wrote about researchers finding microplastics in the testes of men and mice, I’ve been reading about how they can potentially affect all of us. If you remember, in that article I wrote a month or so ago, studies were being conducted to find a correlation between microplastics and male fertility issues. 

Apparently, there are many more studies being conducted on how microplastics impact the human body. So far, there is more speculation than conclusion in most of these studies. What we know for sure is that plastic is everywhere on Earth. 

An article published on the Association of American Medical Colleges’ website says that “minuscule plastic particles that come from degraded plastic products are found throughout the environment. Scientists estimate there are eight to ten million metric tons of plastics in the oceans, and some of that is consumed by fish and other wildlife. Microplastics have been detected in fruits and vegetables, plastic water bottles, the air, cosmetics, and household dust. Now researchers are finding them in almost every part of the human body, including in breast milk, the placenta, testicles, hearts, livers, and kidneys.” 

Then they go on to tell the story of a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, Jaime Ross, PhD. She served up microplastic-contaminated drinking water to mice to see how, or if, it would affect their cognitive function. 

According to the article, she didn’t hold high hopes for this research. “But in just three weeks, Ross and her team found microplastics had made their way into the mice’s brains, passing the robust defenses of the blood-brain barrier. The researchers performed a variety of tests and found that the microplastic-exposed mice started exhibiting signs of cognitive decline similar to dementia.” 

Harvard Medicine reports on its website that the medical community is becoming more knowledgeable about plastic particle pollution and the diseases and syndromes that may be associated with it. 

“Little wonder that microplastics have been detected throughout the human body, including in the blood, saliva, liver, kidneys, and placenta. Investigators are probing how they get into other organs and tissues from the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Microplastics smaller than 1 micrometer, known as nanoplastics, worry researchers the most because they can infiltrate cells,” they say. 

Environmental Working Group’s website quotes yet another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found “heart disease patients with microplastics in the blood vessels on either side of their neck, which deliver blood from the heart to the brain and head, were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. These patients were also more likely to die over the next three years than people who had no microplastics in their carotid arteries.” 

Microplastics have not only been found all over the world, they’ve even been found in clouds. And, EWG says that depending on the source of the plastic, microplastics can be contaminated with toxic chemical additives, pollutants or microorganisms that can pose a health risk to humans. 

Research continues. And I’m not one for fearmongering. But I think it’s important for each of us to understand the potential problem of microplastics. Plastic doesn’t decompose like food or paper. It breaks down into littler and littler bits. When they’re the width of a paper clip they’re classified as microplastic. Nanoplastics are smaller than a micrometer and can breach cell barriers. 

We can’t avoid plastic. So, what should we do to try to prevent these microplastics getting into our bodies? EWG advises us to dust and vacuum regularly.  

“Removing excess dust from your house can help cut down on the amount of microplastic fibers in the dust you could be breathing or otherwise consuming,” they said. 

Avoid drinking from disposable plastic water bottles. If you have no choice, keep them out of the sun because they degrade very easily. EWG also says to filter your water because home water filters can be effective at reducing many contaminants. 

“Avoid plastic cutting boards. There are plenty of alternatives to use, like wood, glass and steel. And microwave your food in glass containers, rather than plastic or takeaway containers which can release millions of microplastic particles into your food.” 

Kathy Hubbard is a member of Bonner General Health Foundation Advisory Council. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.