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Microplastics found in every human placenta tested in new study
A new study looking at the prevalence of microplastics shockingly discovered that all tested samples of placenta contained microscopic pieces of plastic.�
The widespread infection of plastic is something well-documented in both research journals and social media. Though straws and bottles in the ocean are undoubtedly awful, they are step one in a break-down process that infects just about everything, and everyone.�
Microplastics are everywhere
A team led by Matthew Campen, PhD, looked at the microplastics contained in 62 samples of human placenta. Shockingly, they were present in every single sample, with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue. The study was recently published in the Toxicological Sciences journal.�
If the dose keeps going up, we start to worry. If were seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this plant could be impacted. Thats not good, he explained.
Through a complicated scientific process called saponification , teams from Baylor College of Medicine and Oklahoma State University identified polyethylene as the most prevalent polymer (54%) in the samples.�
Though the term itself might not strike a chord, polyethylene is the plastic found in everything from plastic bags and bottles.
Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, and nylon both accounted for 10%, with the rest made from small amounts of nine other polymers.
How do microplastics get into our bodies?
You might be wondering how the same material in plastic bottles makes its way into the human body. You see, it all starts at sites like the landfill.
Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow in Campens lab, explained: That ends up in groundwater, and sometimes it aerosolizes and ends up in our environment. Were not only getting it from ingestion but also through inhalation as well. It not only affects us as humans, but all off our animals chickens, livestock and all of our plants. Were seeing it in everything.
The true scope of plastics effect on health is still a relatively new area of exploration, meaning more research is needed.�
