Scientists Discover Microplastics Have Reached the Human Brain

Kokcha News Agency: Scientists have discovered microplastics in the human brain, raising concerns about their potential health impacts. While these tiny plastic particles have been found in various human organs, including the lungs, heart, and placenta, there is still insufficient evidence to determine whether they cause harm.

Microplastics are ubiquitous, contaminating the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even remote environments like mountain peaks and ocean floors. Their increasing prevalence is a key topic at next week’s UN negotiations on plastic pollution in Geneva. However, the full extent of their impact on human health remains unknown.

“A Brain, a Plastic Spoon”:
The most striking research on microplastics in the brain was published in Nature Medicine in February. The study examined brain tissue from 28 individuals who died in 2016 and 24 who died in 2023 in New Mexico, USA, and found that the amount of microplastics in the brain had increased over time. Lead author and toxicologist Matthew Campen stated that they detected approximately 10 grams of microplastics in the brains—equivalent to a plastic spoon or an unused crayon.

Scientists Urge Caution:
Theodore Henry, a toxicologist at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, warned that these findings should be interpreted cautiously until independently verified. Oliver Jones, a chemistry professor at RMIT University in Australia, noted that it is “highly unlikely” that microplastics in the brain exceed those found in wastewater, adding, “Even if there are microplastics in our brains, there is currently no evidence of harm.”

Possible Link to Cardiovascular Diseases:
Most studies on the health effects of microplastics are observational and cannot establish direct cause-and-effect relationships.

A study published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine found that microplastics accumulating in blood vessels could increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Another experiment, published in Science Advances in January, detected microplastics in the brains of mice.