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 haemodialysis waters: Emerging threats to be in our radar
Summary
This study investigated whether kidney dialysis patients are being exposed to micro and nanoplastics during their treatments, since they process 300 to 600 liters of water per week. The researchers found several potential contamination points in the dialysis process and estimated that even with 99% filtration, plastic particles could still reach patients' kidneys. This is especially concerning because dialysis patients already have compromised kidney function and may be more vulnerable to plastic particle exposure.
Microplastics are present in the environment, in drinking water, in human blood and there is evidence of nanoplastics in tap water. The objective of this work was to analyze the possibility of hemodialysis patients being contaminated by micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) during dialysis treatment. The motivation for this investigation is the fact that hemodialysis patients use about 300-600 L of drinking water per week, which may be contaminated by MNPs. A literature review, a field investigation in a London hospital and an estimation of MNPs intake in patients were carried out. The results showed potential points of risk of contamination of patients by MNPs in hemodialysis. It was also estimated that for a filtration efficiency of 99 % for MNPs, the amount of microplastics that can penetrate the kidneys of patients is 0.0021-3768 particles/week. The assessment concludes that hemodialysis patients are at high risk of MNP contamination.