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Temporal trends in microplastic accumulation in placentas from pregnancies in Hawaiʻi
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Using Raman spectroscopy, researchers analyzed discarded placentas in Hawaii and found that microplastic accumulation has increased significantly over the past 15 years. The types and sizes of plastic particles also changed over time, reflecting shifts in plastic production and environmental contamination. This study demonstrates that human tissue can serve as a biological record of plastic pollution exposure.
Microplastics are created for commercial use, are shed from textiles, or result from the breakdown of larger plastic items. Recent reports have shown that microplastics accumulate in human tissues and may have adverse health consequences. Currently, there are no standardized environmental monitoring systems to track microplastic accumulation within human tissues. Using Raman spectroscopy, we investigated the temporal exposures to plastic pollution in Hawaiʻi and noted a significant increase in the accumulation of microplastics in discarded placentas over the past 15 years, with changes in the size and chemical composition of the polymers. These findings provide a rare insight into the vulnerability and sensitivity of Pacific Island residents to plastic pollution and illustrate how discarded human tissues can be used as an innovative environmental plastic pollution monitoring system.
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Microplastic abundance in the Eastern Tropical Pacific 2008-2018
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Researchers re-analyzed archived zooplankton samples collected at four Eastern Tropical Pacific stations between 2008 and 2018 to quantify microplastic abundance, providing a decade-long temporal record of plastic contamination in this oceanic region.
Anthropocene microplastic stratigraphy of Xiamen Bay, China: A history of plastic production and waste management
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Researchers used a sediment core from Xiamen Bay, China to reconstruct the history of microplastic accumulation since 1952, finding that plastic pollution reflects historical events including the Cultural Revolution and rapid economic growth, with microplastic concentrations reaching 189,200 items/kg at their peak.
Monitoring the evolution of deep-sea microplastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific using natural history collection holothurian specimens
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Researchers used preserved holothurian (sea cucumber) specimens from natural history collections spanning decades to monitor the temporal evolution of deep-sea microplastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific, providing a rare historical record of how microplastic ingestion by benthic organisms has changed since plastic production began in the 1950s.
Microplastics in Sediment Cores from Asia and Africa as Indicators of Temporal Trends in Plastic Pollution
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By extracting microplastics from dated sediment cores in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa, researchers reconstructed the historical increase in plastic pollution over decades. The study shows that microplastic accumulation in sediments tracks the global rise in plastic production, making sediment cores a useful record of pollution history.
Museum foraminifera archive historical marine plastic pollution
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Agglutinated foraminifera from museum collections dating back to 1911 were found to incorporate plastic-derived polymers detectable by pyrolysis-GC-MS, with elevated concentrations in post-1950 specimens reflecting the rise of mass plastic production. This establishes historical foraminifera as novel bioarchives capable of reconstructing a century-long timeline of marine plastic pollution.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.