Microplastics Found in Human Blood for the First Time

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola

April 06, 2022

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

> Researchers in The Netherlands analyzed blood samples from 22 healthy volunteers; plastic particles were found in 17 — a rate of 77%
> The mean concentration of plastic particles in the blood was 1.6 µg/ml, showing a first measurement of the concentration of the polymeric component of plastic in human blood
> Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make plastic water and soda bottles, was detected most often; some of the blood samples contained up to three different types of plastic
> It’s “scientifically plausible” that the plastic particles are being transported by the bloodstream to organs and could even be carried by immune cells, possibly raising the predisposition to diseases with an immunological base

There’s a good chance that tiny pieces of plastic are not only in your body but floating in your bloodstream. The news came from researchers in The Netherlands, who analyzed blood samples from 22 healthy volunteers. It’s the first time microplastics have been detected in human blood, and according to study author professor Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in The Netherlands, “It is certainly reasonable to be concerned.”1

The fact is, plastic is a ubiquitous part of the modern-day world, integrally intertwined with our daily lives, from plastic food packaging and bottles to microbeads found in personal care products. It’s estimated that 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the world’s oceans annually — an amount that could nearly triple by 2040.2

Microplastics, which have no standard definition but are often defined as being less than 5 millimeters in length, are especially pernicious since they’re so small; exposure occurs via both inhalation and ingestion, and once in your body, they’re free to travel throughout and may even lodge in your organs.3

Your Blood May Be Polluted by Plastic

When the researchers analyzed the 22 blood samples, plastic particles were found in 17 — a rate of 77%. They used the term “plastic particles” to describe particles ≥700 nanometers in dimension, a size that can be absorbed across membranes.4 The mean concentration of plastic particles in the blood was 1.6 µg/ml, “showing a first measurement of the mass concentration of the polymeric component of plastic in human blood.”5

Some of the blood samples contained up to three different types of plastic; steel syringe needles and glass tubes were used so no plastic would be introduced to the samples.6 Accurate measurements of plastics in human blood will be important for conducting a human health risk assessment, or HRA, for plastic particle pollution, in order to determine the health consequences of plastics accumulating in the human body.

Previous studies have detected microsized plastic particles in human feces, providing evidence that such particles travel through the gastrointestinal tract. Plastic particles have also been found in colectomy specimens from humans as well as in human placental tissue.7

However, Vethaak told The Guardian, “Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood — it’s a breakthrough result. But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.”8 Out of the 17 samples in which plastic particles were detected:9

Half contained polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make plastic water and soda bottles One-third contained polystyrene, widely used in food packaging One-quarter contained polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags

What Happens to Plastic in Your Body?

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