Is there Plastic in our Blood?!

It's no surprise when I say that plastic is everywhere. It's mainly found in substances utilized in our daily life such as toothpaste, lip glosses, pan coatings and tattoo ink. These little bits of Plastic have now permeated our ecosystem so deeply that it is causing multiple environmental problems. Microplastic by definition are fragments of any type of plastic less than 5 mm in length. There are two types of microplastics: the initial one is known as primary microplastic which is often utilized to make cosmetic products and the latter one is titled secondary microplastics which are normally the residual plastic particles from larger more complicated plastic items. Previously, scientists found plastic additives like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in human urine and microplastics in human feces. However, until now no survey had displayed the presence of microplastics in human blood.

A Dutch survey released in the Environment International Journal inspected blood samples from 22 anonymous, healthy volunteers and found microplastics in almost 80% of their blood. Half of the blood samples showed traces of PET plastic which is utilized to make beverage bottles and over a third of the blood samples had polystyrene, a type of plastic utilized mostly to make disposable containers and several other products. Researchers have said a powerful opportunity is that the microplastics are being transported to the organs via the bloodstream. Mr. Vethaak the head researcher noted that there could be other types of microplastics that the survey did not detect as the particles could have been larger than the diameter of the needle utilized to gather blood samples. Though the researchers have been able to summarize so much it's still not distinct how the microplastics could hurt the organs or the human body as a whole. This survey was done with a restricted number of individuals so the scientists are now emphasizing the need to carry out identical survey on a larger scale. This is a reminder of how a supposedly recyclable substance like plastic has impacted not only our lifestyle but also our human body, it is safe to say that it’s time we take action before to it's too late.