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Microplastics: Detection in human samples, cell line studies, and health impacts
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This review compiles evidence that microplastics have been detected in human stool, placenta, lungs, liver, sputum, breast milk, and blood, confirming widespread presence in the human body. Studies on human cell lines show microplastics can cause toxic effects, but the full health impact is still not well understood and needs further research.
Microplastics (MPs) are in all environmental compartments, including atmosphere, terrestrial, and aquatic environments as well as in marine organisms, foods, drinking water, and indoor and outdoor environments. MPs can enter the human body through the food chain and contaminated environment. Ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact are the routes of their entry into the human body. Recent studies reporting the detection of MPs within the human body have raised concern among the scientific community as the knowledge about human exposure is still very limited and their impact on health is not well-understood yet. In this review article, we briefly cover the reports evidencing MP detection within the human body, e.g., stool, placenta, lungs, liver, sputum, breast milk, and blood. A concise synopsis of sample preparation and analysis of such human matrices is also provided. This article also presents a summary of the effect of MPs on human cell lines and human health.
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles called microplastics, which have been found in human blood, placenta, lung tissue, breast milk and stool. Lab and animal studies link microplastics to cell damage, inflammation and effects on several organs, but human health data remain limited, and the paper proposes a framework for future risk assessment.
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