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Preserving brain health by minimizing microplastic output from resin histology
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Researchers at an orthopedic bioengineering lab in Colorado examined how histology laboratories may contribute to microplastic pollution through resin-embedded specimen processing. The study highlights growing evidence indicating negative impacts of microplastics on neurodevelopment, neuronal function, and mental health, and argues that labs should self-regulate to minimize microscopic resinous particle emissions.
With an increasing concentration of microplastics (MPs) in every biome, laboratories with a focus on creating histology slides from resin-embedded specimens could be partially responsible for expanding the emission of microscopic resinous particles into the environment. With current research elucidating harmful health impacts from MPs, releasing them incautiously is arguably unethical and, in the near future, plausibly illegal. The Orthopedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory (OBRL) is in Colorado, a state known not only for its natural beauty but also for its increasing number of legislative amendments aimed at reducing plastic pollution. The histology department of the OBRL has chosen to self-regulate due to the importance of protecting health and the environment. Because virtually every molecule of plastic ever created is still in existence, a greater need for MP research and mitigation has become apparent. Remediation is specifically important due to findings indicating negative impacts on neurodevelopment, neuronal organelle function, mental health, and the increased risk of dementia.
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