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As part of the research of microplastics in the pulpit, researchers from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and MedUni Vienna have discovered as part of a pilot study of the eight topics. This is the first time that microplastics are detected in humans.
The study participants were five women and three men aged 33 to 65 living in Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Russia, Japan and Austria. They kept a food journal for a week and then gave a stool sample. All subjects consumed plastic-wrapped foods or beverages contained in PET bottles, the majority of them consumed fish or seafood, and no one ate that food vegetarians.
20 microplastic particles per ten grams of stool
On average, 20 microplastic particles per ten grams of stool were found. "In our laboratory we were able to detect nine types of plastic from 50 to 500 microns," said Bettina Liebmann, an expert in microplastic badysis at UBA. The most common were PP (polypropylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate). It has been badyzed in terms of ten of the most widely used plastics in the world.
"Because of the small number of subjects, we can not reliably establish links between nutritional behavior and exposure to microplastics," said lead author Philipp Schwabl in the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at MedUni. "The effects of microplastic particles found on the human body – particularly on the digestive tract – can only be studied in the context of a larger scale study."
Studies in animals: plastic particles also in the blood
In previous studies, the highest microplastic concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract had been detected in animals, but even the smallest plastic particles were detectable in the blood, lymph, and even the liver. "Although some indications indicate that microplastics can damage the gastrointestinal tract by promoting inflammatory reactions or the absorption of harmful byproducts, additional studies are needed to badess the potential hazards of microplastics for the treatment of the body. man, "Schwabl said.
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than five millimeters. It is used as an additive in cosmetics, but mainly occurs unintentionally by crushing, abrasion or decomposition of large plastic parts in the environment.
From one man to the other
Global plastic production currently stands at more than 400 million tonnes a year, UBA and MedUni explained in their publication. It is estimated that two to five percent of this amount will go to sea, where the waste is chopped by marine animals and can reach humans via the food chain. In addition, it is very likely that food comes into contact with plastics during processing or through packaging, and thus also with microplastics.
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