Now, a new study from researchers in China reports finding microplastics in blood clots surgically removed from arteries in the heart and brain, and deep veins in the lower legs.
Research shows inhaled plastic particles deposit in the respiratory system, affecting health based on size, shape, and breathing rate.
The scientists used a new analytical tool to measure microplastics present in human placentas, finding the tiny pollutants in all 62 of the placenta samples tested with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue.
The study examined placentas donated by women who delivered in Hawaiʻi from 2006 to 2021. The rise in microplastics found in the placentas of Hawaiʻi mothers corresponds with the skyrocketing levels of global plastic production.
Nanoplastics that can leach into water and soil affect a specific protein found in the brain, causing changes linked to Parkinson’s disease and other types of dementia.
South Korean scientists showerd the process through which plastic transforms into secondary microplastics. Their research reveals that continuous consumption of these secondary microplastics acts as neurotoxins in the brain.
From the rapid development of vaccines for Covid-19 to the stunning collection of an asteroid sample, these were the biggest science moments of the year.
According to a recent study, up to 1.9 million pieces of microplastic is located in a 5 cm-thick layer covering just one square metre. It is the highest levels of microplastics yet recorded on the ocean floor.
It seems we're releasing anywhere around 10 to 30 nanograms of plastic fragments just a few nanometres across for every 3 metres (about 10 feet) of plastic we break apart.
If you pulled 1,000 liters of water out of the ocean, how many small bits of plastic would you expect to find? Ten pieces? One hundred pieces? 8.3 million pieces of what researchers call "mini-microplastic" is the finding of an alarming new study.
Dutch researchers have found recently announced that cells exposed to microplastics experience cell death three times faster than those that are not. With microplastic pollution everywhere, the findings are sobering.
Wherever that plastic is ending up, we know that it's breaking down over time, disintegrating into micro particles less than 5mm in size, and some even breakdown to the nanoscale at less than one micrometer (size of bacteria).
“Nurdles” may sound cute but they pose a huge risk to the marine environment. Also known as “mermaid tears”, these small plastic pellets are a feedstock in the plastic industry.
Tiny particles of up to nine different types of plastic were discovered during the tests. Plastic in the gut could suppress the immune system and aid transmission of toxins and harmful bugs or viruses, experts believe.
