‘Nowhere Left Untouched’: How Microplastics Got in Our Brains

Researchers leading the charge on the issue have called for more urgent action to rein in plastic pollution along with ways to remove plastics already present in the environment.

The findings show that it is “now imperative to declare a global emergency” on plastic pollution, according to Sedar Gündogdu, a researcher of microplastics at Cukurova University in Turkey.

The pieces find their way into the water supply after being washed down the drain and often come from toothpaste, beauty and cleaning products, or larger pieces of plastic breaking up over time. Widespread plastic pollution makes its way into our air, food, and water supply, where humans inject the tiny pieces.

So far, the scientific community has illuminated some dangers. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed a strong connection between the presence microplastics in the body and cardiovascular disease. The study empirically proved a direct link to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and even death in some instances.

Even more, several cancers have been attributed to heightened exposure to plastics and forever chemicals, as well as impaired learning and memory.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already begun working on guidelines for measuring plastic and avoiding its introduction in food and drinks. The group also gave out grants in 2018 for developers to find new ways to detect and quantify plastic particles in water quickly.

Studies have shown that the livers, kidneys, and brains of biopsied bodies all contain microplastics. However, the 91 brain samples contained, on average, about 10 to 20 times more plastic than other organs.

The study also found that 24 brain samples measured, on average,  about 0.5% plastic by weight. This figure means that, on average, our brains weigh 0.5% of just microplastics. “It’s pretty alarming,” Campen said. “There’s much more plastic in our brains than I ever would have imagined or been comfortable with.”

The dramatic increase in plastics found in the body shows that despite efforts to reduce plastic waste, the world is using and discarding plastic at increasing rates.

In the study, 12 brain samples were taken from people who had died from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. These brains in particular, contained more than 10 times the plastic by weight than healthy brain samples. “I don’t know how much more plastic our brain can stuff in without it causing some problems,” Campen said.

This finding shows that the concentration of plastics in human brains is rising at a similar rate to that found in the environment.

Unfortunately, the human body cannot evolve as fast as the increased use of microplastics in the environment. For now, long-term studies will be needed to determine the full risk.