Plastic was found in human blood for the first time. Is this a public health risk?
New research has found evidence of plastic in the bloodstream of humans for the first time. But how it might regularly get there and what long-lasting impacts can be expected, including if it can clear the blood-brain barrier, are open to further discovery.
Read more: MarketWatch’s Amelia Langas explains how these 5-millimeter pellets affect humans and the environment Dick Vethaak, professor of ecotoxicology, water quality and health at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and his co-authors had their research published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environment International.
Next steps, the group said, include determining: Where are these particles traveling? Do they accumulate in certain organs? Is the accumulation high enough to trigger disease? Don’t miss: Coca-Cola to boost use of refillable bottles in an ‘industry leading’ move against plastic waste Humans have produced 18.2 trillion pounds of plastics since large-scale plastic production began in the early 1950s, according to a 2017 study. One comparison said the weight equals that of 1 billion elephants. Nearly 80% of that plastic is now in landfills. Read more on plastics from the EPA.
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