We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics and nanoplastics in the human diet
Summary
Researchers reviewed how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food and drink, finding that the tiniest particles likely penetrate the gut lining and enter tissues in ways similar to drug-delivery nanoparticles. This raises significant concerns about long-term health effects from everyday dietary exposure to plastic contamination.
Human exposure to environmental microplastics and nanoplastics via oral ingestion is a topic of public health and food safety concern. In this Review, the physicochemical properties of drug-delivery nanoparticles were considered to evaluate the biological plausibility of environmental nanoplastics overcoming biological-selective barriers. Physicochemical characteristics probably have a key role in the interaction of nanoplastics with the mucus layer and the intestinal mucosal epithelium. Substantial gaps in experimental designs and analytical methodologies pose a major challenge to fully understanding nanoplastic uptake and should be prioritized for future research. Environmental nanoplastics and microplastics enter the human gut where they encounter biological-selective barriers; the plausibility of plastics crossing these barriers is reviewed based on an understanding of the physiochemical properties of drug-delivery nanoparticles.