Alarming new evidence is emerging about the potential harm caused by widespread plastic pollution, scientists said Friday.
significant level microscopy plastic Particles have been found in many human organs, including the placenta, but adverse health effects have been demonstrated in animals.
On average, people now consume about 5 grams of microplastics per week. It is ingested through food and drink and inhaled. Contaminated air — Professor Philip Democritou of Rutgers University said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington.
“What’s really alarming is that microplastics are entering cells and interfering with the cell nucleus, raising concerns about potential DNA damage,” he said. “Another worrying example is that it can interfere with the digestion and absorption of important nutrients.”
Apart from Friday’s Scientist at London’s Natural History Museum announced the discovery of new diseases in seabirds caused solely by ingestion of plastic. They call this condition plasticity—a fibrotic disease caused by small pieces of plastic inflaming the digestive tract. .
They found extensive scarring on the forestomach, the first part of the bird’s stomach, when investigating petrels on Lord Howe Island, Australia. Birds that ingested more plastic had more scars.
“These birds look healthy on the outside, but they’re not doing well on the inside,” said Alex Bond, the museum’s curator of birds. “This study is the first time stomach tissue has been investigated in this way, and indicates that plastic consumption can seriously damage the digestive system of these birds.”
Affected birds become more vulnerable to infections and parasites, but lose some of their ability to digest food and absorb vitamins.
At the AAAS conference, Luisa Campagnolo of the University of Rome Tor Vergata gave an overview of recent research by Italian scientists who found tiny plastic particles in different sources of human placenta taken from six women with normal pregnancies. explained.
Another study confirmed that “not only placental tissue, but meconium, the baby’s first faeces, also contains plastic particles. This is because the particles can cross the placenta and reach the fetus.” It means it’s possible,” Campagnolo said.
“A huge number of different types of plastic particles have been identified,” she added. “The most common is PVC, but basically every other plastic type that is part of everyday consumer products was present.”
Craig Bennett, CEO of the Wildlife Trust, a British conservation group, said the study “underscores my fear that the plastic problem is just the beginning. Our oceans, rivers, Rural areas are already plagued with plastic pollution, and research shows how humans and wildlife consume microplastics through eating, drinking and breathing.”
