We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Presence of Microplastic-like Structures in a University Community and Its Companion Animals, from Bogotá-Colombia: An Exploratory Study
Summary
Researchers in Colombia found tiny plastic-like particles in the poop of almost every person and pet they tested, 97.78% of humans and 100% of dogs and cats. Interestingly, people's microplastic levels didn't match their own pets' levels, suggesting we're not just picking up plastics from our shared homes, but likely from different sources like our specific foods, water, or daily habits. This is a small first-look study, but it adds to growing evidence that microplastics are basically everywhere in our bodies, and scientists are still working out exactly where they come from and what that means for our health.
Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed among humans and companion animals. Fecal samples from members of the university community at the Pontifical Javeriana University in Bogotá, Colombia, and their companion animals (pets) were analyzed to investigate a possible association between MP loads in humans and their dogs and/or cats. Structures compatible with microplastics were detected in the feces of 97.78% of humans and 100% of companion animals. No significant correlation was found between MP loads in humans and their companion animals (p = 0.6846), suggesting that exposure is not determined solely by the shared household environment. If the home were the dominant and exclusive source of exposure, a positive correlation between owners and their companion animals would be expected. Instead, the results indicate the existence of species-specific exposure routes. This exploratory study provides the first report of MP-like structures in fecal samples from humans and their companion animals in Colombia.