Microplastics: Synthetic Particles Now Inside Every Human Body
Microplastics — plastic fragments smaller than 5mm — and nanoplastics (sub-micron particles) have permeated every ecosystem on Earth and are now detectable in human blood, breast milk, placentae, lung tissue, liver, kidney, and testes, with a 2022 study published in Environment International providing the first direct evidence of microplastics circulating in human blood. These particles carry a complex chemical payload: not only the polymer base (including polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene) but also the plasticisers, flame retardants, UV stabilisers, and heavy metal catalysts incorporated during manufacturing — compounds including phthalates, BPA, PFAS, cadmium, and lead that leach continuously from the plastic matrix into surrounding tissue. The biological consequences of this unprecedented internal contamination — including endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, inflammatory activation, gut barrier disruption, and reproductive toxicity — are only beginning to be characterised, yet the exposure continues to increase with every passing year of plastic production.
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