5/25/2023 0 Comments Particles in urine![]() Some of the blood samples contained two or three types of plastic. ![]() The new research is published in the journal Environment International and adapted existing techniques to detect and analyse particles as small as 0.0007mm. “We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,” he said. “The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day. “It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,” Vethaak told the Guardian. “But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.” Further studies by a number of groups are already under way, he said. “Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood – it’s a breakthrough result,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made. Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. The scientists analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors, all healthy adults and found plastic particles in 17. People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in, and they have been found in the faeces of babies and adults. Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans.
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