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Microplastics - an emerging silent menace to public health
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This mini-review summarizes how microplastics enter the human body through food, water, and air, and explores the range of potential health effects including inflammation, chemical toxicity, and immune disruption. Trophic transfer through the food chain is highlighted as a key pathway for microplastics to accumulate in human tissues.
Over the past few decades, microplastics have become increasingly ubiquitous in the environment and now contaminate the bodies of many living organisms, including humans. Microplastics, as defined here, are plastics within the size range 0.1 μm and 5 mm and are a worrying form of pollution due to public health concerns. This mini-review aims to summarise the route of entry of microplastics into humans and explore the potential detrimental health effects of microplastics. Trophic transfer is an important pathway for microplastic to be transferred across different groups of organisms, with ingestion is regarded as one of the major routes of exposure for humans. Other pathways include inhalation and dermal contact. The health consequences of microplastics manifest because these materials can translocate into the circulatory system and accumulate in the lungs, liver, kidney, and even brain, regardless of the route of entry. Health effects include gastrointestinal disturbances such as inflammation and gut microbiota disruption, respiratory conditions, neurotoxicity and potential cancers. Overall, while it is apparent that microplastics are causing adverse effects on different biological groups and ecosystems, current research is largely focused on marine organisms and aquaculture. Therefore, more studies are needed to investigate specific effects in mammalian cells and tissues, with more long-term epidemiological studies needed on human population considered to be at high-risk due to socioeconomic or other circumstance. Knowledge of the toxicity and long-term health impacts of microplastics is currently limited and requires urgent attention.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics - an emerging silent menace to public health
AI summary Read the abstract
This mini-review summarises routes of microplastic entry into the human body and examines potential health effects, highlighting trophic transfer as an important exposure pathway and noting that the full extent of microplastic toxicity to human health remains an active area of concern.
From environment to body: sources and health consequences of microplastics and nanoplastics in humans
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This review summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, water, air, and skin contact. Studies cited suggest these particles may build up in tissues and are linked to inflammation, immune problems, and other health issues, though long-term human health risks remain unclear.
[Human Accumulation and Toxic Effects of Microplastics：A Critical Review].
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This review summarizes how microplastics enter the human body through food, drinking water, and air, and where they tend to accumulate in organs and tissues. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can trigger inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the body. The study calls for more research into the long-term health effects of continuous microplastic exposure in humans.
Microplastics in human food chains: Food becoming a threat to health safety
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This review traces how microplastics enter the human food chain through both animal and plant sources, food packaging, and beverages. Once consumed, microplastics can accumulate in tissues and release harmful chemicals like plasticizers and heavy metals inside the body. The study emphasizes that food has become a major exposure pathway for microplastics and calls for stricter regulation of plastic use in food production and packaging.
A review on microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment: Their occurrence, exposure routes, toxic studies, and potential effects on human health
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This review summarizes what is known about how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and what they do once inside. Studies on cells and animals show these tiny particles can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and harm to the immune, digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems. The research makes clear that microplastics are not just an environmental problem but a direct concern for human health.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.