"Microplastics have been found almost everywhere: in blood, placentas, lungs even the human brain. One study estimated our cerebral organs alone may contain 5g of the stuff, or roughly a teaspoon. If true, plastic isn't just wrapped around our food or woven into our clothes: it is lodged deep inside us. Now, researchers suspect these particles may also be meddling with our gut microbes."
"When Dr Christian Pacher-Deutsch at the University of Graz in Austria exposed gut bacteria from five healthy volunteers to five common microplastics, the bacterial populations shifted along with the chemicals they produced. Some of these changes mirrored patterns linked to depression and colorectal cancer. While it's too early to make definitive health claims, the microbiome plays a central role in many aspects of wellbeing, from digestion to mental health, says Pacher-Deutsch, who presented his work at the recent United European Gastroenterology conference in Berlin."
Microplastics are present across human tissues, including blood, placentas, lungs and the brain, with cerebral accumulation possibly amounting to grams. Microplastics originate from packaging, clothing, paints, cosmetics and tyre wear and can penetrate lung and gut linings into blood, organs and cells. Experimental exposure of gut bacteria from healthy volunteers to common microplastics caused shifts in bacterial communities and their chemical outputs, with some changes resembling patterns linked to depression and colorectal cancer. The full health consequences remain uncertain, but the microbiome influences digestion, immunity and mental wellbeing, so reducing exposure is prudent.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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