Study First found microplastics in humans

For the first time microplastic detected in stool samples of humans

Microplastics could be detected not only in the oceans, but also in the air, in drinking water and in food. For the first time, tiny plastic particles were discovered in human stool samples. In the future, the effects of the plastic on the human organism should be further explored.

Plastic particles in food and in drinking water

In recent years, various scientific studies have shown how widespread exposure to microplastics has become. Scientists have detected plastic particles in drinking water and also in beer. In addition, plastic particles have been discovered in foods such as sea salt and fish. Therefore, it is actually not surprising that researchers have now demonstrated for the first time in humans microplastics.

Currently over 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year. Much of it ends up in the oceans and across the food chain in humans. Researchers have now been able to detect microplastics in the human stool for the first time. (Image: kranidi / fotolia.com)

For the first time discovered microplastics in the human stool

In a study by the Austrian Federal Environment Agency and the Medical University of Vienna, microplastics were first discovered in the human stool - and by all eight of the international participants.

As reported by the university, the five women and three men aged between 33 and 65 live in Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Russia, Japan and Austria.

The subjects kept a food diary for one week and then gave a stool sample.

The study participants consumed plastic-packed food or drinks from PET bottles, most of them consumed fish or seafood, and no-one fed exclusively on a vegetarian diet.

The most common were PP and PET

Scientists of the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency analyzed the chair of the participants in the laboratory regarding ten of the most widely used plastics worldwide.

In all eight individuals, microplastic was detected in the stool, averaging 20 microplastic particles per ten grams of stool.

"In our laboratory, we were able to detect nine different types of plastic in the size of 50 to 500 microns," said Bettina Liebmann, the expert responsible for microplastic analysis in the Federal Environment Agency.

Accordingly, PP (polypropylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) were the most commonly found in the samples.

Effects on the human organism

"Due to the small number of subjects, we are unable to reliably establish connections between nutritional behavior and exposure to microplastics," said first author Philipp Schwabl from the Clinical Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at MedUni Vienna.

According to the expert, "the effects of the microplastic particles found on the human organism" - especially on the digestive tract - "can only be researched in a larger-scale study".

As stated in the communication, the highest microplastic concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract were detected in other studies in animals, however, the smallest plastic particles were also detectable in the blood, lymph, and even the liver.

"Although there are early indications that microplastics can damage the gastrointestinal tract by promoting inflammatory responses or the absorption of harmful by-products, further studies are needed to assess the potential dangers of microplastics to humans," said Schwabl.

Global plastic production has grown rapidly

Plastic particles smaller than five millimeters in size are called microplastics. This is used, inter alia, as an additive in cosmetic products, but arises mainly unintentionally by crushing, abrasion or decomposition of larger plastic parts in the environment.

Worldwide plastic production has grown rapidly since the 1950s and is currently over 400 million tonnes per year.

It is estimated that two to five percent of the plastic produced will go into the sea. According to scientific research, plastic waste is now found in all marine regions. Even in arctic waters, plastic waste has already been discovered.

In the oceans, the waste is crushed by marine animals and can then enter the human via the food chain.

In addition, it is very likely that food will come in contact with plastics during processing or through the packaging, and thus also with microplastics. (Ad)