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Plastic pollution in food packaging systems: impact on human health, socioeconomic considerations and regulatory framework
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This review examines how plastics from food packaging migrate into our food and enter the body through eating, breathing, and skin contact, where particles smaller than 3 micrometers can penetrate biological barriers. Research shows these microplastics can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, organ damage, and disrupt stem cell function, highlighting the urgent need for safer packaging alternatives.
• Food packaging plastics migrate into food, exposing consumers to contaminants • Microplastics trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cause organ damage • Microplastics penetrate biological barriers and disrupt stem cell function • Plastic pollution poses risks to health, ecosystems, and socioeconomic stability • Sustainable practices and policies are urgently needed to reduce these health risks Global plastic production surpasses 400 million metric tons annually. With only 9% being recycled, 50% directly landfilled, and an additional 20% mismanaged, plastic waste represents a major challenge facing our planet today. The repercussions of plastic pollution are extensive, affecting the future of sustainability globally, by not only the environment and human health but also socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. This review examines the effects of macro and microplastics on various human organs and systems, including the liver, brain, stem cells, respiratory, reproductive, immune, and neurological systems. It also investigates the different routes of microplastic uptake, such as digestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. These routes highlight how microplastics with size ranges less than 3µm can infiltrate the body, causing oxidative stress, inflammation, and cellular dysfunction as well as differentiation shift of stem cells, which may lead to chronic health conditions. Moreover, this study highlights the urgent need for implementing sustainable practices, policies, and regulations to address the health risks, economic losses, diminished quality of life, disruption of traditional practices, and impacts on cultural heritage and community well-being. By emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental, health, and societal factors, this review highlights the urgency of adopting a comprehensive approach to mitigate the impacts of plastic pollution. Addressing this global challenge is crucial not only to safeguard public health but also to ensure the sustainability of our planet's future.
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A review on microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment: Their occurrence, exposure routes, toxic studies, and potential effects on human health
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This review summarizes what is known about how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and what they do once inside. Studies on cells and animals show these tiny particles can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and harm to the immune, digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems. The research makes clear that microplastics are not just an environmental problem but a direct concern for human health.
Micro- and Nanoplastics on Human Health and Diseases: Perspectives and Recent Advances
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This review provides a comprehensive overview of how micro- and nanoplastics enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption, and how they can then travel through the bloodstream to reach virtually every organ. Researchers summarize evidence that these particles can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of hormonal and immune functions. The study emphasizes that the ability of these particles to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues makes understanding their long-term health effects an urgent research priority.
Impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on human Health: Emerging evidence and future directions
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This review summarizes current evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and the cellular damage they may cause. While microplastic pollution is a recognized environmental hazard, the authors note that definitive evidence linking plastic particle exposure to specific health outcomes in humans is still limited and more realistic exposure studies are needed.
The impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on human health: a growing concern
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Tiny plastic particles—so small they can enter your body through the food you eat, the air you breathe, and even your skin—have become impossible to avoid, and this review pulls together existing research on what that means for your health. Scientists have found these particles can travel from your gut, lungs, and skin into your bloodstream, reaching organs throughout your body and even crossing into the placenta during pregnancy, where they may disrupt hormones, trigger inflammation, and cause cellular damage. While researchers are still working out exactly how harmful this is, the mounting evidence is a strong signal that reducing plastic exposure and pollution deser
From environment to body: sources and health consequences of microplastics and nanoplastics in humans
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This review summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, water, air, and skin contact. Studies cited suggest these particles may build up in tissues and are linked to inflammation, immune problems, and other health issues, though long-term human health risks remain unclear.
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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.