New, worrisome considerations relating to microplastics
An article was recently published in the journal Energy & Environment Nexus that introduces some new, very worrisome considerations relating to microplastics in our environment.
In summary, the article introduces two novel, very important concepts:
That microplastics can serve as transport vectors to carry pollutants into the human body. Given the molecular structure and properties of microplastics (inherently hydrophobic (water-repelling)), they can attach to chemicals and pollutants and transport these into the digestive lumen (microplastics), or even pass through the gastrointestinal lining (nanoplastics, which are much smaller) and transport these potentially dangerous chemicals to other organs, including the brain! The authors describe this process of carrying toxins attached to the microplastics as a “trojan horse” effect!
Microplastics can also serve as biological vectors. Microplastics, again given their molecular structure, can attract microorganisms and have been shown to induce ‘biofilms’. These biofilms can actually create “plastispheres”, where microorganisms live on the microplastics and have the potential to transmit antibiotic resistance genes! The authors state in their paper, “More alarmingly, pathogens on MPs [microplastics] can be taken up by crops, forming a complete soil-plant-human exposure chain.”
I highlight in a prior blog post about how consumption of certain probiotics are capable of absorbing and facilitating the excretion of micro and nano-plastics. Given the mounting evidence of how prevalent these particles are in both our environment and in our bodies, it is essential that we take steps to reduce use of plastic products and also continue to explore mechanisms to reduce the amount of microplastics in our bodies!
