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Microplastics – why are they everywhere within the body and where do they come from? A review
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Researchers reviewing recent literature on microplastic exposure routes and organ-level detection find MPs in the kidneys, placenta, testes, heart, brain, bone marrow, semen, and breast milk — linking contamination mechanistically to oxidative stress, inflammation, dysbiosis, and potential neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects, while calling for improved detection standards.
Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in nearly all environmental compartments. The crucial routes of human exposure include the indoor environment, where the concentration of airborne fibers is higher than outdoors, the consumption of contaminated food, and contact with cookware, medical equipment, and personal care products made from or containing plastic. Depending on how MPs enter the body, through ingestion, inhalation, or dermal contact, they can reach a variety of organs. In this study, we focus on the detection of MPs and their consequences in several organs, which have not been sufficiently described in literature before, including the kidneys, placenta, testes, heart, brain, bone marrow, and in bodily secretions, namely semen and breast milk. To ensure the most accurate and up-to-date data, the presented results are based on papers published within the past three years. Experimental and clinical studies link exposure to MPs to oxidative stress, inflammation, dysbiosis, mitochondrial damage, fibrosis, and potential carcinogenic and neurotoxic effects. These mechanisms, occurring in the aforementioned tissues, raise concerns regarding fertility, fetal development, metabolic health, and neurodegeneration. However, further improvements in detection of MPs and contamination prevention methods are needed to minimize the potential health risks associated with exposure.
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Microplastics and Their Toxicological Impacts on Human Health: An Overview
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Researchers synthesize recent literature on microplastic contamination, covering sources, environmental distribution, detection methods, and mechanistic evidence linking MP exposure to oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial damage, and potential neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects across multiple human organ systems.
Microplastics in humans: Current evidence of presence and their role in organ toxicity
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This comprehensive review examined how microplastics enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption, and maternal-fetal transfer, summarizing documented evidence of MP presence and toxic effects across multiple organs.
Microplastics and Kidneys: An Update on the Evidence for Deposition of Plastic Microparticles in Human Organs, Tissues and Fluids and Renal Toxicity Concern
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This review summarizes the growing evidence that microplastics are found throughout the human body, including in the placenta, lungs, liver, heart, blood, and breast milk. While direct evidence for kidney damage in humans is still lacking, animal studies show that microplastics can cause kidney inflammation, cell death, and oxidative stress. The findings highlight that microplastics are accumulating in virtually every human organ, though the long-term health consequences remain unclear.
Micro- and nanoplastics in human biological materials: a systematic review of detection methods and methodological challenges
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Scientists have found tiny plastic particles in human organs like the placenta, liver, lungs, and kidneys, but this review of existing research reveals a big problem: labs around the world are testing for these particles in wildly inconsistent ways, using different tools, definitions, and measurement units. This makes it hard to know exactly how much plastic is really in our bodies or what health risks it poses—meaning we need more standardized research before drawing firm conclusions about how worried we should be.
Detection, characterization, and quantification of microplastics in human biological matrices: a systematic review.
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This review summarizes 40 studies that found microplastics in human blood, urine, feces, placenta, breast milk, semen, and lung and heart tissue. Methods for detecting these particles varied widely, and many studies had quality limitations, so researchers say current evidence cannot yet confirm health effects.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.