Microplastics and nanoplastics are not only a risk to marine life, but may increase the risk of serious disease in humans, a new study has found.
Non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic lung disease are linked to inflammatory conditions in the body’s organs, the study by an international group of researchers says.
Uptake of microplastics and nanoplastics and their leachates within digestive and respiratory systems can potentially boost the risk and severity of such diseases in the future, the study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine says.
It has found that microplastic and nanoplastics concentrations in infant faecal matter are significantly higher than in adults – possibly because plastic is commonly used in infant food preparation, presentation, and storage.
“Young children’s behaviour such as putting objects in their mouth may also account for this,” the authors state.
The group is calling for a global integrated “one health” approach to human health and environmental research that will reveal the environmental mechanisms that lie behind the rise in human microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and the particle links with non-communicable diseases.
Lead author Professor Stefan Krause, from the University of Birmingham, says that “plastic pollution has increased globally – making it critical that we understand the overall health risks associated with microplastic and nanoplastic exposure”.
“We must tackle this pollution at its source to reduce further emissions, as the global dispersal that has already happened will remain a cause of concern for centuries to come,”he says.
“ For this, we need a systematic investigation into the environmental drivers of human microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and their impacts on the prevalence and severity of the main non-communicable disease groups of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease,”he says.
The researchers note that the body treats such foreign entities in a way similar to pollen or human-made pollutants like diesel exhaust, triggering the same protective mechanisms.
The presents a risk of bodily defences “becoming overwhelmed and boosting the frequency and severity of non-communicable diseases”, with the four main types collectively responsible for 71% of all global deaths annually.
Such diseases are increasing and are creating a predicted economic impact of more than $30 trillion over the next two decades, they state.
Humans are exposed to microplastics and nanoplastics in outdoor and indoor environments through food stuffs, drinks consumption, air and many other sources, including cosmetics and human care products.
They have been found in fish, salt, beer, and plastic bottled drinks or air, where they are released from synthetic clothing materials, plastic fabric bedding during sleep, plastic carpet or furniture, the researchers note.
Other sources can include fertiliser, soil, irrigation, and uptake into food crops or produce.
