The threat of microplastics to certain bodily functions is real and constantly increasing.

Although microplastics have caused enormous damage to the Earth, perhaps only by posing an imminent threat to the human body can people give due attention to this issue.

Researchers say that this moment has arrived. Recent studies on microplastics [referring to large quantities of tiny plastic particles (with a diameter of 5 millimeters or less) that take hundreds of years to degrade] have shown that they are not only ubiquitous, but also invading the bloodstream, causing potential harm.

This research is not yet completed, and science and technology are constantly advancing. However, researchers in this field are reaching a consensus that the threat of microplastics to certain bodily functions is real and continues to increase.

Heather Leslie, a pioneer in microplastics and human health research in Europe and an independent scientist, said, "We must decide how to deal with the awareness that there are very small amounts of plastic in the body." Leslie told Fortune magazine that although the potential harm is still unknown, "evidence about the inflammatory effects and metabolic changes in tissues where microplastics accumulate is increasing.

A new report published in Nature Medicine suggests the severity of this issue. Although research on the biological effects of microplastics has been ongoing for decades, most studies have focused on the environmental aspect, particularly in the marine environment. It was not until recent research that the presence of these substances was detected in multiple organs of the human body, including blood, lungs, placenta, and feces, as well as breast milk, testes, and semen.

In some ways, such results are not surprising. Plastic products and garbage are everywhere on Earth. Microplastics are commonly found in food, even fresh fruits and vegetables, and have also been found in tap water and bottled water. California recently became the world's first government entity to conduct microplastic testing on its drinking water, and testing of over 250 bottles of water purchased from 9 countries found that 93% of bottled water contained microplastics.

How do microplastics harm health?

Since the birth of plastic in the decade following World War II, its production has grown at an astonishing rate, exceeding 430 million tons annually. About two-thirds of them are designed for short-term use (such as water bottles and snack packaging), but the lifespan of plastic is astonishingly long (some products have a lifespan of up to 450 to 1000 years), and this material continuously degrades into smaller particles during use.

What are contained in the resulting microplastics and their cousin nanoplastics (invisible to the naked eye)? According to recent research, various products in the plastic industry contain at least 16000 chemicals, of which over a quarter are considered harmful to human health and the environment. The added chemicals may include highly toxic compounds such as carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and nerve agents, or chemicals that affect reproduction, such as bisphenol A, phthalates, bisphenol A, and perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

A series of studies have begun to confirm the harm caused to humanity by all of this. In March of this year, the New England Journal of Medicine published a shocking report. The report found that among patients undergoing carotid artery disease testing, those with microplastics detected in arterial wall plaques had a 4.5-fold higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, or death compared to those without microplastics detected.

The proportion is quite high, "said particle matter expert Philip Demokrito." We need to conduct more similar research, and our European counterparts are ahead of us. In the United States, we usually wait until people are on the brink of death to conduct research.

According to recent research, various products in the plastic industry contain at least 16000 chemicals, of which over a quarter are considered harmful to human health and the environment.

Researchers studying the link between microplastics and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) detected 15 types of microplastics in human feces and found that the concentration of microplastics in the feces of patients with inflammatory bowel disease was higher than that in healthy individuals. According to records, microplastics are present in all parts of the human lungs, but the direct link to human diseases has not yet been determined. A study found that if infants drink formula milk powder from polypropylene bottles, they may be exposed to higher levels of microplastics, highlighting the author's point that we "urgently need" to determine the potential risks that microplastics may pose to infant health (if any). Scientists analyzed 62 placental tissue samples and found polyethylene (a plastic used to make plastic bottles) in each sample.

The damage caused by microplastics to marine and aquatic organisms has been widely reported, but its threat to human health has not been clearly defined. But the evidence is constantly increasing - although scientific research on this topic is still immature, the human brain may be highly susceptible to its influence.

Two turkey scientists revealed in a new documentary called Plastic People that they had found microplastics in brain tumor tissue, but their research results have not been published or peer reviewed. One of the researchers, Sedat Gondodu, told Fortune magazine, "Our study shows that the blood-brain barrier is damaged, allowing microplastics and other particles to pass through." In mice, it was observed that "non high doses" of particles could cross this barrier and cause behavioral changes after three weeks of exposure.

Inhalation and ingestion are other ways for microplastics to enter the human body. Microplastics have been found in dust, cosmetics, seafood, beer, salt, rainwater, soil, and even the air we breathe. Demokrito said, "The water we drink and the food we eat all contain microplastics".

Martin Wagner, a biologist and environmental toxicologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, pointed out that once microplastics enter the human body, they are identified as foreign particles. They trigger an inflammatory response in the immune system aimed at expelling them from the body, just like the human body fights bacteria - except microplastics cannot be degraded. Wagner said, "Therefore, they can cause chronic inflammation. Obviously, this is an important factor for me." Many diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other diseases, are related to chronic inflammation, and are also the main causes of death worldwide.

Erika Chirino, author of the book "Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis," said that in laboratory tests, there is evidence that human cells exposed to microplastic particles exhibit cell damage and death. In addition, Cirino pointed out that scientists "are competing to understand whether microplastics are related to the increase of cancer incidence rate, especially the gastrointestinal cancer of young people."