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A review on microplastics in mammalian feces: Monitoring techniques and associated challenges
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics appear in the feces of humans, dogs, cats, and marine mammals, finding PET plastic to be the most common type across species. Analyzing feces offers a non-invasive way to track how much plastic organisms are ingesting, which could help guide environmental health policies.
• Examination of MPs in the feces of various mammal species. • Summarization of methods for detecting MPs in feces. • PET was the most prevalent polymer in mammal feces, followed by PP and PE/PS. • Detection of MPs ≥ 1 μm in mammal feces samples. • Analysis of MPs in feces as a non-invasive biomonitoring method for environmental monitoring. The global ecosystem is facing a rapidly escalating contamination issue with microplastics (MPs), which has raised concerns about human exposure and potential health effects. This review focuses on MP contamination in mammalian feces and evaluates current monitoring techniques and associated challenges. In humans, the most prevalent MP polymers identified in human feces include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), and polyurethane (PU). Additionally, PET and PC were found in the feces of dogs and cats, too. In harbor seal feces, the identified polymer types included cellophane, rubber, alkyd resin, and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM). This review determined that the size of the MPs in human feces ranged from 1 µm to 5000 µm. The detection of MPs in the feces of humans and other mammals suggests that fecal MP monitoring can be used as a non-invasive biomonitoring approach to assess exposure levels and enhance environmental health surveillance. Understanding the extent of MP ingestion among organisms is crucial, considering the bioaccumulative nature of plastic pollution that currently threatens global ecosystems. Consistent monitoring of MPs in the feces of several organisms can help identify health risks and inform environmental policies aimed at reducing plastic waste and its associated impacts.
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Researchers measured PET and polycarbonate microplastics in pet food and pet feces from the United States. They found that microplastic concentrations in cat and dog feces were one to two orders of magnitude higher than in their food, suggesting that diet is only a minor source of pet microplastic exposure. The findings indicate that pets, like humans, are exposed to microplastics through multiple pathways in their shared living environments.
Detection of Various Microplastics in Human Stool
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Occurrence, analysis, and toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics: a review
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This review focuses on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most common types of plastic found as microplastic contamination in food, beverages, dust, wildlife, and human tissues. The authors found major inconsistencies in how researchers measure and detect PET microplastics, making it difficult to accurately assess health risks. Better standardized methods are needed to understand the true scope of PET contamination.
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