Currently, microplastics are spreading to various environments of this world, including the “human body”. Therefore, there is a great concern that microplastics in the human body will affect health or not?
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are plastic particles with a diameter of less than 5 millimeters. They are often created from the decomposition or breakage of large plastic waste or from plastics that are created to be small in size to suit their intended use. Most are round, oval, straight, or irregular in shape. Microplastics can be divided into 2 types as follows:
1. Primary microplastic
Primary microplastic is a plastic that is synthesized to be smaller than 5 millimeters for specific uses, such as being used as a starting material for the production of plastic products. Plastic pellets in facial cleansers, cosmetics or toothpaste that we may be familiar with are “microbeads”. This type of microplastic can spread into the sea from direct waste disposal from households.
2. Secondary microplastic
Secondary microplastic is a plastic that is created from the process of breaking down large plastics into smaller pieces, fibers or plastic films. The process of breaking down large pieces of plastic into small pieces occurs through mechanical, chemical, biological and photodegradation. These processes cause additives in the plastic to be released, causing the plastic to break down into small pieces. In addition to being mixed in the environment, microplastics can also spread into the human body because research has been published that “plastics are found in the human body” and spread to many parts of the body.
3. Microplastics in the blood
Microplastics in the blood have been a hot topic since 2022, in the journal Environment International, where scientists found microplastic particles in blood samples from 22 healthy adult volunteers in the Netherlands, but found microplastics in the blood of 17 people.
4. Microplastics in the placenta
In 2021, a study published in the journal Environment International revealed that a team of researchers from Raman Microspectroscopy analyzed the placentas of six women to assess for microplastic contamination in the placenta. They found 5 pieces of microplastics in the fetus, 4 in the mother, and 3 in the amniotic membrane, for a total of 12 pieces.
5. Microplastics in breast milk
In 2022, a study published in the journal Polymers revealed that microplastics were found in breast milk for the first time. The microplastics found included polyethylene, PVC, and polypropylene, which raised concerns about possible health effects for infants.
6. Microplastics in the liver
A team of US researchers analyzed liver tissue samples from 17 volunteers, both cirrhotic and healthy subjects, and in 2022, they found that microplastics were present in human liver tissue. The microplastics contained six different polymers in the livers of people with cirrhosis, while those in healthy subjects did not contain all of them.
7. Microplastics in the lungs
A 2022 publication in Science of The Total Environment described the discovery of microplastics in living human lung tissue for the first time. The data came from experiments. Of the 13 lung samples from patients, 11 contained PET microplastics.
8. Microplastics in the testicles
The journal Toxicological Science reported that microplastics were found in the testicular tissues of both humans and dogs, suggesting that these microplastics could be linked to male reproductive problems.
9. Microplastics in the heart and blood vessels
A study by Dr. Raffaele Marfella from the University of Campania in Italy found that 58% of patients who underwent surgery to treat carotid arteries There are small plastic fragments at the microplastic and nanoplastic level, especially polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics mixed in the blood vessels.
10. Microplastics in semen
Scientists from Qingdao University of Technology have revealed that they have found small microplastics used in the production of PVC pipes and foam sheets, and that they cause 8 types of cancer. The results of this experiment were based on semen samples from 36 men who were tested.
So how do microplastics enter the human body?
Microplastics can enter the human body through eating and inhalation. The food we eat may also contain microplastics. Eating those foods may allow microplastics to enter our bodies. Although the research results cannot clearly confirm that microplastics will affect our health, scientists are concerned that today or in the future, microplastics may affect human health.
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