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Identification of microplastics in human placenta using laser direct infrared spectroscopy

The Science of The Total Environment 2022 333 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 65 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Lihui An Long Zhu, Long Zhu, Qiujin Xu, Long Zhu, Lihui An Long Zhu, Long Zhu, Long Zhu, Qiujin Xu, Long Zhu, Long Zhu, Qiujin Xu, Rui Zuo, Long Zhu, Jingying Zhu, Long Zhu, Jingying Zhu, Long Zhu, Rui Zuo, Long Zhu, Jingying Zhu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Long Zhu, Lihui An Rui Zuo, Jingying Zhu, Long Zhu, Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Long Zhu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Qiujin Xu, Long Zhu, Jingying Zhu, Long Zhu, Lihui An Long Zhu, Long Zhu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Yan-Hua Qian, Jingying Zhu, Qiujin Xu, Qiujin Xu, Yan-Hua Qian, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Yan-Hua Qian, Yan-Hua Qian, Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Lihui An Jingying Zhu, Lihui An Lihui An Qiujin Xu, Qiujin Xu, Jingying Zhu, Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An Lihui An

Summary

Using laser direct infrared spectroscopy, researchers detected microplastics in all 17 human placentas examined in this study. The most common types were polypropylene and polyethylene, the same plastics found in food containers and packaging. This finding is significant because it shows that microplastics can reach the placenta, raising important questions about potential effects on fetal development during pregnancy.

Polymers

PP PVC

Body Systems

Reproductive

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment, including in food and drinking water. Consequently, there is growing concern about the human health risks associated with microplastic exposure through diet. However, the occurrence of microplastics in the human body, particularly in mothers and fetuses, is incompletely understood because of the limited amount of data on their presence in the body and the human placenta. This study evaluated the presence and characteristics of microplastics in 17 placentas using laser direct infrared (LD-IR) spectroscopy. Microplastics were detected in all placenta samples, with an average abundance of 2.70 ± 2.65 particles/g and a range of 0.28 to 9.55 particles/g. Among these microplastics, 11 polymer types were identified. The microplastics were mainly composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 43.27 %), polypropylene (PP, 14.55 %), and polybutylene succinate (PBS, 10.90 %). The sizes of these microplastics ranged from 20.34 to 307.29 μm, and most (80.29 %) were smaller than 100 μm. Most of the smaller microplastics were fragments, but fibers dominated the larger microplastics (200-307.29 μm). Interestingly, the majority of PVC and PP were smaller than 200 μm. This study provides a clearer understanding of the shape, size, and nature of microplastics in the human placenta. Importantly, these data also provide crucial information for performing risk assessments of the exposure of fetuses to microplastics in the future.

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