Microplastics now reaching into human wombs too: Study

| | New Delhi
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Microplastics now reaching into human wombs too: Study

Sunday, 10 January 2021 | Archana Jyoti | New Delhi

Health hazardous plastic is now reaching into the human wombs too! In a first-of-its-kind but disturbing study, researchers have found presence of microplastics — tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres but bigger than 1 micron —inside human placentas, posing a potential risk to fetal health and development.

The study published in the recent journal ‘Environmental International’ said these plastic pieces were recognised as polypropylene, a plastic commonly used in food containers and packaging.

While the other pieces were harder to identify, they appeared to be plastic bits from “man-made coatings, paints, adhesives, plasters, finger paints, polymers and cosmetics and personal care products,” according to the study titled ‘Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta.’

The researchers said that microplastics present inside human placentas could potentially affect fetal health and development, disrupt immunity mechanisms in babies, though they are yet to investigate further to prove this assumption.

The microplastics probably entered the women’s bodies through ingestion and inhalation, and then translocated to the placentas, the researchers said as they found a total of 12 microplastic fragments in four of the six placentas.

The effects of microplastics in the human body on health are still largely unknown, but the researchers said it was “a matter of great concern” due to the critical role the placenta plays in fetal development. “Microplastics were found in all placental portions: maternal, fetal and amniochorial membranes,” researchers said cautioning that the hazardous item carry with them substances which acting as endocrine disruptors could cause long-term effects on human health.

Lead author Antonio Ragusa, director of obstetrics and gynecology at the San Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli hospital in Rome, said it’s likely that microplastics would be present in the babies themselves, although further research would need to confirm this.

While all of the babies were healthy at birth, Ragusa said that the microplastics in the placenta had the potential to “alter several cellular regulating pathways … such as immunity mechanisms.

“Due to the crucial role of placenta in supporting the foetus development and in acting as an interface between the latter and the external environment, the presence of exogenous and potentially harmful (plastic) particles is a matter of great concern.

“Possible consequences on pregnancy outcomes and foetus are the transgenerational effects of plasticizer on metabolism and reproduction.

“Further studies need to be performed to assess if the presence of MPs in the human placenta may trigger immune responses or may lead to the release of toxic contaminants, resulting harmful for pregnancy,” warned the researchers.

Various reports have pointed out that the plastic waste generated worldwide is expected to triple to 155-265 million metric tonnes per year by 2060. Owing to their size, microplastics are extremely difficult to remove from the environment and are easily consumed by animals and humans, thus need to reduce their usage.

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