Microplastics may travel through gut to brain, liver and kidney: Study

Microplastics are not just linked to polluting our oceans and harming wildlife but they are also finding their ways to enter human bodies too, including our brain. These are tiny particles of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in size. Know how they enter the human body

Microplastic has been linked to affect our digestive, sexual and cardiovascular health (Image: Freepik)

New Delhi: Microplastics have been an emerging concern not only in terms of environmental pollution but also impacting our health in multiple ways. Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic that are less than 5 millimetres in size has been linked to affecting digestive, sexual and cardiovascular health. But it doesn’t stop there, these small particles are also invading our brains now, according to a new study.

Microplastics are not just linked to polluting our oceans and harming wildlife but they are also finding their ways to enter human bodies too, including our brain.

A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspective reveals an alarming reality. The study found that tiny plastic particles also known as microplastics are invading the human brain. Furthermore, the researchers from the University of New Mexico who performed the investigation have raised a significant risk or impact they are going to create on our neurological health.

Microplastic can invade in liver, kidney and brain

The study went on to note that microplastics that we encounter in our everyday life ranging from water to food to the air we breathe, can travel and enter our stomach or other vital body organs. These organs may include kidneys, liver and brain.

The entry point for these microplastics may be through skin contact, inhalation or indigestion. This is possible through a trophic transfer or infected food.

According to another author, Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, their findings suggest that microplastic exposure can also lead to metabolic alteration in these tissues and may indicate the potential systemic effect.

Microplastics are now found almost in all parts of our environment including contaminated water, food and soil.

Impact of microplastic on human body

To examine the study further, the researchers tried to duplicate the consumption of microplastic a quantity that is as same as human exposure. Mice were exposed to various amounts of polystyrene or mixed polymer microsphere via oral gastric feeding. After the mice were fed microplastics, their serum, brain, liver kidneys and colon tissues were examined by the scientists where they identified the presence of microplastics.

This discovery suggests that microplastic can travel beyond the gut and potentially reach distant organs throughout the body.