What’s more, University of New Mexico health scientist Alexander Nihart and colleagues found greater concentrations of these problematic petrochemical leftovers in brain samples than in samples of kidneys and livers.
The long-term impacts and the potential for incremental effects of plastic particles embedded in our tissues remain unknown, though evidence suggests there might be cause for concern.
Every single sample they tested contained plastic particles.
While samples from livers and kidneys had similar amounts of plastic, the researchers found the brain samples had up to 30 times higher concentrations.
Plastic concentrations in the analyzed tissues were not influenced by age, ethnicity, or cause of death.
According to a recent study, postmortem brain samples taken last year had significantly higher levels of microplastics than samples taken almost ten years ago, suggesting that the microscopic artificial particles gradually build up in our vital organs.
Additionally, Alexander Nihart and colleagues, a health scientist at the University of New Mexico, discovered that brain samples had higher levels of these harmful petrochemical residues than did kidney and liver samples.
Around 9 billion metric tons of plastic were produced between 1950 and 2019 for use in a wide range of products, including lawn furniture, children’s toys, food containers, single-use packaging, and clothing.
Since then, a large portion of this material has fragmented into ever-tinier particles, creating a fine dust that is dispersed extremely widely throughout the world. The resulting micro- and nanoparticles are now present everywhere we look, from the deepest ocean trenches to our own feces and archaeological remains.
Nihart and colleagues report that during the last fifty years, “environmental concentrations of anthropogenic microplastic and nanoplastic, polymer-based particulates ranging from 500 µm in diameter down to 1 nm, have increased exponentially.”.
Although evidence suggests there may be cause for concern, the long-term effects and the possibility of incremental effects of plastic particles embedded in our tissues are still unknown.
Premature births have been linked to these tiny plastics in the placenta in one study that has not yet been published. Additionally, they have been connected to clogged blood vessels in the brains of mice. Millions of deaths were linked to exposure to additives in widely used plastics, according to another study.
Thus, tissue samples from 52 human bodies that had autopsies in 2016 and 2024 were examined by Nihart and associates. There were plastic particles in every sample they examined.
The researchers discovered that brain samples had up to 30 times higher concentrations of plastic than liver and kidney samples, which had comparable levels.
It’s unexpected. By aiding in the body’s waste filtering and breakdown, the liver and kidneys may come into greater contact with circulating particles. The brain-blood barrier, which should stop such substances from passing through, provides our brains with additional defense against impurities.
Additionally, Nihart and colleagues contrasted their findings with previous brain samples taken between 1997 and 2013. They discovered a definite upward trend over time and believe that our bodies are mirroring the exponential rise in environmental micro- and nanoplastic concentrations.
Age, race, or cause of death had no bearing on the levels of plastic in the tissues under analysis. However, samples from individuals diagnosed with dementia had higher levels of plastic than samples from those without the diagnosis.
Again, we are unsure whether accumulations of plastic material are a contributing factor to poor health. The researchers explain that “Atrophy of brain tissue, impaired blood–brain barrier integrity, and poor clearance mechanisms are hallmarks of dementia and would be anticipated to increase micro- and nanoplastic concentrations.”.
Researchers have been calling for more studies on the health effects of microplastics for years, and Nihart and colleagues join their chorus.
In the meantime, as plastics continue to be produced in greater quantities, we are all still absorbing pieces of it.
In a recent piece for The Conversation, Adam Hanieh, a global development researcher at the University of Exeter who was not involved in the study, reminds us that “plastics are petrochemical products: substances which are ultimately derived from oil and gas.”.
According to some estimates, up to 95% of the net increase in oil demand by 2040 will be attributed to plastics. “.
