Several studies have revealed the alarming rate of microplastic filling up on land, in oceans, and even in the air. Recent evidence of plastic contamination has been found in organs as well from the autopsies of donated cadavers.
Microplastics are small particles of plastic waste and fibers that are smaller than one-fifth of an inch. Aside from disturbing natural ecosystems and killing animals, chemicals in plastics have also been associated with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, infertility, and sexual dysfunction.
Rolf Halden from Arizona State University's Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering shared that plastic chemicals were found in all the organs his team investigated. If major organs have traces of microplastic particles, most likely, they can become carcinogenic irritants similar to asbestos.
Asbestos is natural minerals made of fibers commonly found in plastic, cloth, paper, and other products to make them more stable; continuous exposure to asbestos results in inflammation, lung disease, mesothelioma, and other cancers.
Ingesting Microplastics
However, it's not always the chemicals that are harmful to the body, explained Halden. "Sometimes, it's the shape and the presence of foreign particles in our bodies."
According to Dianna Cohen of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a nonprofit organization, people ingest nearly five grams of plastic per week. She compared it to the size of a credit card.
A previous study revealed how microplastics could be carried via the air, carrying pollution to even the most isolated, protected nature parks. Researchers have traced the majority of microplastic pollution to microfibers produced by clothing manufacturers.
Cohen shared how please she is with the new quality quantitative research performed on humans to assess the cumulative harmful effects of these microplastics. Meanwhile, she says, 'it's totally depressing' how scientists have been warning humanity about plastic consumption and pollution for years, yet single-use plastics are still popularly used around the world.
During the study, Halden's team analyzed over 40 tissue samples of human cadavers. Arizona State University's Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center has a brain and body bank for their research for several diseases and conditions.
READ: Scientists Trace Microplastic Pollution Almost Everywhere, It's Become Airborne
'An Atlas of Human Pollution'
The team searched for minuscule plastic particles, nanoparticles about the size of one micron, that could move from the digestive tract to the bloodstream. If microplastics found their way into the bloodstream, they could circulate with the blood and get in organs like the lungs or the kidneys or the liver, said Halden.
Cohen explained that it is impossible to avoid plastic ingestion. "Microplastics have been measured in tap water and bottled water, and in the air that we breathe," she said. Moreover, microplastic particles are also found in marine life, including fish and shellfish that people eat.
Using a spectrometry procedure, the researchers extracted the microplastics from the organ samples. They then created an online calculator that can convert plastic particle counts into mass and surface area standard units.
The team's measurements can assess how much microplastic has infected various organs. Halden said that his team wanted "to create an exposure map for the human body' so that they can make "an atlas of human pollution."
READ NEXT: Microfibers Cause More Pollution Than Previously Thought
Check out more news and information on Plastic Pollution on Science Times.