Human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years prior, according to a preprint posted online in May.
“Compared to autopsy brain samples from 2016, that’s about 50% higher,” Campen said.
Nanoplastics are the most worrisome plastics for human health, experts say, because the minuscule pieces can take up residence inside individual cells.
In that report, the consortium determined plastics are associated with harms to human health at every single stage of the plastic lifecycle.
Polyethylene was also the predominant type of polymer found in human and dog testicles, according to an August 2024 study by Campen and his team.
A March 2024 study found 1 liter of bottled water — the equivalent of two standard-size bottled waters typically purchased by consumers — contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics.
Store your food in glass containers instead of in plastic ones,” Landrigan said.
“Work in your local community to ban plastic bags, as many communities around the United States have now done.
According to an online preprint published in May, human brain samples taken during autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny plastic shards than samples taken eight years before. A study that hasn’t been submitted to a journal for peer review is called a preprint.
Lead study author Matthew Campen, a regents’ professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, stated, “The concentrations we saw in the brain tissue of normal individuals, who had an average age of around 45 or 50 years old, were 4,800 micrograms per gram, or 0.5 percent by weight.”.
“It’s roughly fifty percent higher than autopsy brain samples from 2016,” stated Campen. According to that theory, 99.5% of our brains are made of plastic today. “.
Not involved in the preprint, Phoebe Stapleton is an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. She noted that the increase, however, only indicates exposure and does not provide information about brain damage.
“It is not clear if these particles are fluid in life, coming into the brain and going out of it, or if they accumulate in neurological tissues and cause illness,” the email said. “More investigation is required to determine whether there are any toxicological ramifications from the particles’ possible interactions with the cells. “.
In comparison to samples taken from the cadavers’ kidneys and liver, the brain samples had seven to thirty percent more tiny plastic shards.
The director of Boston College’s Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good and the Global Observatory on Planetary Health, pediatrician and biology professor Dr. Philip Landrigan, stated, “Studies have found these plastics in the human heart, the great blood vessels, the lungs, the liver, the testes, the gastrointestinal tract, and the placenta.”.
None of us will be living without plastic in 2024, according to Landrigan, who was not involved in the preprint. “It’s important not to scare the hell out of people,” he said.
Let me tell you something, folks: there are certain plastics you just can’t get away from. You can’t buy a computer or a cell phone without plastic in them. Try, though, to limit the amount of plastic you come into contact with, such as plastic bottles and bags. “.
Before going to press, CNN contacted the industry group American Chemistry Council, but received no response.
As they enter the brain, nanoplastics “hijack” it.
The brain, kidney, and liver tissues of 92 individuals who had forensic autopsies performed to confirm the cause of death in 2016 and 2024 were analyzed for the study. The frontal cortex, which is most affected by frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, is the part of the brain linked to thought and reasoning. Brain tissue samples from this region were obtained.
According to Campen’s findings, the brain appears to be attracting nanostructures with a length of only 100 to 200 nanometers, while the liver and kidneys are the intended recipients of larger particles measuring between one and five micrometers.
The size of microplastics can vary from less than 0 point 2 inches (5 millimeters), which is roughly equivalent to the size of a pencil eraser, to 1 nanometer. As per the US Environmental Protection Agency, a human hair strand has a width of approximately 80,000 nanometers. Anything smaller needs to be expressed in billionths of a meter since it is a nanoplastic.
Because the tiny fragments can settle inside individual cells, experts claim that nanoplastics are the plastics that pose the greatest risk to human health.
According to Campen, “these nanoplastics somehow escape the blood-brain barrier and find their way into the brain.”. “One theory suggests that plastics are taking advantage of the fats we eat to deliver them to the organs that really enjoy lipids—the brain foremost among them. Plastics love fats, or lipids. “.
More fat than any other organ, the human brain contains roughly 60% of its total weight in fat. For the brain’s cells to function properly, essential fatty acids like omega 3s are essential. Essential fatty acids must come from food or supplements because the human body is unable to produce them on its own.
The Minderoo – Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health is a global consortium of scientists, health care professionals, and policy analysts tasked with tracking plastics from production to final product. Landrigan, who is the lead author of a March 2023 report from this commission, stated that diet is the primary method of exposure to micro- and nanoplastics.
The consortium concluded in that report that there are health risks to humans connected to plastics at every phase of their lifecycle.
Landrigan stated, “Some microplastics are also airborne.”. For instance, some microplastic particles are released into the air when vehicles pass on a highway and their tires rub against the surface.
“Some of the microplastic particles in the ocean get kicked into the air through wave action if you live near the coast,” he explained. Thus, while ingestion is most likely the main route, inhalation is also crucial. “.
plastics connected to cancer.
The most common type of plastic discovered in tissue samples was polyethylene, which is nonbiodegradable and is used in plastic bottles, films, and bags. The preprint states that it was discovered in higher concentrations in the brain than in the liver or kidney.
A study conducted by Campen and colleagues in August 2024 revealed that the most common polymer in testicles from both humans and dogs was polyethylene.
The environmental advocacy group Defend our Health gathered industry data showing that the largest source of 1,4-dioxane’s release into the environment is the production of polyethylene, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics.
1,4-Dioxane may be carcinogenic to humans, according to the US National Toxicity Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The solvent presents a “unreasonable risk of injury to health” for plastics workers and locals whose drinking water has been contaminated by discharges from PET plastics factories, according to a draft report released by the EPA in 2023.
There’s a lot we still don’t know, so the main concern is, “Okay, what are these particles doing to us?” according to Landrigan. All the thousands of chemicals found in plastics, some of which are very harmful, are carried by these microplastic particles, which are like Trojan horses. This much is known for sure. “.
Nanoplastics have the ability to disrupt cellular processes and deposit endocrine-disrupting substances like bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, heavy metals, and per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, by invading individual cells and tissues in major organs.
The Endocrine Society states that endocrine disruptors cause genital and reproductive malformations, female infertility, and a decrease in sperm count by interfering with the human reproductive system.
Even though the complete extent of the harm caused by microplastics and nanoplastics is still unknown, Landrigan stated that there are some pretty good indications of it. We should take protective measures now that we have sufficient information, in my opinion. “.
Reducing your use of plastic is important.
Experts say there are numerous actions people can take to lessen their plastic footprint and their exposure to plastics.
It’s difficult to avoid eating food that has been wrapped in plastic film, but Landrigan advised making sure to remove the plastic before cooking or heating it in the microwave. The movement of the microplastics into the food from the wrapping is accelerated when plastic is heated.
An advocacy group for the environment, the Natural Resources Defense Council, advised purchasing a zippered fabric bag and asking the dry cleaner to return your clothes in it rather than those thin plastic sheets. To reduce the use of plastic cups and cutlery at work, bring silverware to the office and a travel mug to the neighborhood coffee shop for takeout.
When you go shopping, avoid using plastic bags. Make use of a recycling bag, paper bag, or cloth bag. If at all possible, try to stay away from plastic water bottles, according to Landrigan.
One liter of bottled water, or the equivalent of two standard-size bottles that consumers typically buy, was found to contain an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven different types of plastic in a March 2024 study. Of those, nanoplastics made up about 90%.
Drinking cups made of glass or metal are preferable to those made of plastic. Glass containers are preferable to plastic ones for food storage, according to Landrigan. “As many communities across the country have already done, try to have your local area outlaw plastic bags. You can take a lot of action. “.
