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Microplastics in the Human Food Chain: Exposure and Health Implications

Norsk tidsskrift for ernæring 2025
Alice Refosco, Damaris Benny Daniel

Summary

This review documents how microplastics have permeated the human food chain and are now detected in human tissues including lungs, liver, placenta, and breast milk, examining exposure routes through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact and the potential health consequences of this ubiquitous contamination.

Microplastics (MP)—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—have become pervasive environmental and dietary contaminants with potential health consequences. Plastic production has surged from 1.7 million tons in the 1950s to over 400 million tons today, and the resulting waste degradation has introduced MP into air, soil, and water. Humans are exposed mainly through ingestion, but also by inhalation and limited dermal contact. MPs are now detected in human tissues including lungs, liver, placenta, and breast milk.

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