Microplastics are an emerging environmental and health risk increasingly linked to adverse outcomes in wildlife and people alike.
A study pending publication in the Journal of the Endocrine Society recently found evidence that their impact might be passed down to future generations.
What's happening?
"Microplastics (MPs) are small plastic particles emerging as significant environmental pollutants, and humans are ubiquitously exposed to microplastics," its abstract began.
As the researchers noted, exposure to microplastics has been linked to chronic health conditions, and previous research identified microplastic particles in human reproductive tissue.
In the abstract, the authors explained that parents' exposure to environmental contaminants has been shown to "increase the risk of cardiometabolic disease" in their children, but parental exposure to microplastics as a distinct pollutant had "not been studied."
Researchers exposed male mice to microplastics to assess whether cardiometabolic diseases — such as Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity — would occur more frequently in their offspring.
Using a novel sequencing method, the authors were surprised to find that female offspring of male mice exposed to microplastics exhibited "exacerbated insulin resistance" compared with their male counterparts.
Ultimately, they concluded that "parental microplastic exposure may have intergenerational adverse impact on offspring metabolic health."
Why is this study concerning?
As the authors emphasized, microplastics truly are everywhere.
Plastic can take centuries to break down, and each year, more of it is manufactured, increasing our exposure to these dangerous plastic particles. Microplastics have been found not just in water, soil, and air, but also in Earth's least-traversed places.
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I want them out now 🚫 Researchers have identified microplastics in human reproductive tissues, but they've also been found throughout the human body, including our brain tissue, organs, and blood. Due to their pervasiveness, microplastics are impossible to avoid entirely.
Studies linking microplastics to adverse outcomes are worryingly numerous, with new findings emerging routinely, indicating an ever-escalating environmental and health crisis.
Research tends to focus on direct, immediate effects, but this study highlighted the potential for microplastics to harm future generations without direct exposure. Lead author Changcheng Zhou explained why that was particularly worrisome, according to the University of California, Riverside.
"These findings from a mouse study likely have implications for humans. Men planning to have children should consider reducing their exposure to harmful substances like microplastics to protect both their health and that of their future children," Zhou advised.
What's being done about microplastics?
Although microplastics are environmentally pervasive, that doesn't mean there aren't ways to minimize direct exposure, as Zhou recommended prospective parents do.
Using less plastic and replacing your most-used plastic items with plastic-free alternatives can significantly reduce your exposure to microplastics.
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