The hazards associated with microplastic pollution are becoming increasingly recognized.
However, one study suggests that researchers have misjudged the impacts of nanoplastics — the insidiously smaller cousins of microplastics.
Whereas microplastics can be as large as the diameter of a pencil-top eraser, nanoplastics are invisible to the naked eye — at least 70 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
What's happening?
Researchers have discovered microplastics and nanoplastics in the human brain, reproductive organs, and other vital systems. Numerous studies suggest this accumulation — linked to dementia and infertility, among other things — adversely impacts human health.
A team from Taiwan set out to understand the risks of nanoplastics by investigating their absorption efficiency in the digestive system.
The researchers used artificial fluids to simulate digestion and tracked nanoplastic movement using fluorescent labeling and advanced particle-tracking technology.
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Their findings, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, suggest the digestive process changes the protein composition around nanoplastics.
Artificial models may also underestimate the size of nanoplastics, revealing a knowledge gap between what scientists think they know and how a body's actual digestive fluid may react to nanoplastic particles.
"Our research indicates that to truly understand the risks posed by nanoplastics, we must develop more accurate models that reflect real human digestive conditions," Taipei Medical University's Prof. I-Lun Hsiao, lead researcher, said in a university release, shared by Medical Xpress.
Why are these findings concerning?
Given the extent to which microplastics and nanoplastics have polluted our ecosystems, from the depths of the oceans to the world's towering peaks, it is almost impossible to avoid them.
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Majorly 😥 Each year, as a study published in Environmental Science and Technology noted, a person may consume up to 52,000 microplastic particles through food and water, and that estimate soars up to 121,000 when researchers account for inhalation.
What is being done about microplastic pollution?
The digestion study provides new insight into nanoplastics' behavior. The researchers said that refining their assessment models could help them more accurately assess how to mitigate the risks of nanoplastics to public health.
In the meantime, avoiding single-use plastics can help reduce demand for new plastics, ultimately preventing new nanoplastics from polluting our ecosystems. Plastic-free options include cloth shopping bags, reusable stasher bags, and metal razors.
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