This seems to me a bit like what happens when you put a vision inspection system into a production line. Once you start looking closely, you're going to find things. The goal, of course, is to identify errors and eliminate them. The challenge now, of course, is what else will we find when we look more closely? Furthermore, what do we do about it? The ongoing lessons of PFAs will be instructive.
Tony, well balanced post. There also seems to be some "deleterious effects of MPs exposure in male reproduction and sperm quality, making them a potential hazard to reproductive success."
Thanks for the temperate writeup on an otherwise fraught topic.
What is so surprising to me about this work is that micro and nanoparticles are cleared so quickly from the bloodstream. So how did they get into a plaque and stay put?
I totally agree that there needs to be more study here. And while the finding of MNPs is probably not a good thing, I imagine the real findings here will be on macrophages, the renal system, or some other physiology, rather than the MNPs themselves.
I first became aware of "the microplastics problem" maybe 11 years ago as I was graduating high school. My favorite body wash reformulated to remove the microplastic exfoliating beads. For a long time, this caused me to misunderstand the issue. Most plastic parts do not give off ~100um spheres as part of their natural lifecycle. While body wash beads may be harmful to fish (as are most waste products), it's easy enough to avoid ingesting them yourself..
A few years back I was thinking about it again and realized how many polyester/synthetic garments I have had which have eroded over time. Those fibers are surely all over my house. Car tires are constantly losing their tread. Many wear-surfaces are specifically engineered to be plastic (PTFE for fancy things but most often a HMWPE). Coatings and paints are abraded off of things. The filters used in water treatment plants are polyamide-based. It is almost endless. For future children of mine, I am primarily concerned about plasticizers, additives, processing aids, etc, but the presence of microplastics in our bodies is very concerning. Unlike PFAS, or BPA, or other harmful plasticizers, the path forward for addressing microplastics looks much less clear..
This seems to me a bit like what happens when you put a vision inspection system into a production line. Once you start looking closely, you're going to find things. The goal, of course, is to identify errors and eliminate them. The challenge now, of course, is what else will we find when we look more closely? Furthermore, what do we do about it? The ongoing lessons of PFAs will be instructive.
Tony, well balanced post. There also seems to be some "deleterious effects of MPs exposure in male reproduction and sperm quality, making them a potential hazard to reproductive success."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967748/
It will be great to watch the research develop on MNPs impact on human health.
Great article. I just had a polypropylene mesh installed to repair my hernia.
Tony,
Thanks for the temperate writeup on an otherwise fraught topic.
What is so surprising to me about this work is that micro and nanoparticles are cleared so quickly from the bloodstream. So how did they get into a plaque and stay put?
I totally agree that there needs to be more study here. And while the finding of MNPs is probably not a good thing, I imagine the real findings here will be on macrophages, the renal system, or some other physiology, rather than the MNPs themselves.
James
Great article, thank you for sharing.
I first became aware of "the microplastics problem" maybe 11 years ago as I was graduating high school. My favorite body wash reformulated to remove the microplastic exfoliating beads. For a long time, this caused me to misunderstand the issue. Most plastic parts do not give off ~100um spheres as part of their natural lifecycle. While body wash beads may be harmful to fish (as are most waste products), it's easy enough to avoid ingesting them yourself..
A few years back I was thinking about it again and realized how many polyester/synthetic garments I have had which have eroded over time. Those fibers are surely all over my house. Car tires are constantly losing their tread. Many wear-surfaces are specifically engineered to be plastic (PTFE for fancy things but most often a HMWPE). Coatings and paints are abraded off of things. The filters used in water treatment plants are polyamide-based. It is almost endless. For future children of mine, I am primarily concerned about plasticizers, additives, processing aids, etc, but the presence of microplastics in our bodies is very concerning. Unlike PFAS, or BPA, or other harmful plasticizers, the path forward for addressing microplastics looks much less clear..