A study published in May reveals the presence of microplastics in all canine and human testicles tested
Plastic particles found in the blood, in the organs and even in the testicles. It seems that humans are gradually changing matter. Certainly, plastic growths will not (immediately?) grow on the body, but several studies published in recent months raise questions about our consumption patterns. Bottled water is overflowing with microplastics, containing up to 100 times more tiny particles than previously estimated, according to a study published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The results are dizzying. Scientists counted on average 240,000 detectable plastic fragments per liter of water, 90% of which are nanoplastics, the rest being microplastics. The most common type found was nylon – likely from plastic filters used to purify water – followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which the bottles are made of. The researchers also intend to test tap water which could contain smaller quantities. Clearly, with each bottle of water swallowed, we ingest more than 200,000 fragments of plastic.
“Once consumed, does plastic enter the body? A few years ago, we had suspicions,” explains Xavier Coumoul, toxicologist and director of the Inserm Métaox team. A study published in March 2022 in the scientific journal Environment International confirms this hypothesis. After analyzing the blood of 22 healthy adult anonymous donors, she found microplastics at measurable concentrations in seventeen of them, or 77% of the sample.
A latest study published last May by Oxford University Press reveals “the presence of microplastics in all canine and human testes [testés], with significant interindividual variability. If it is found in the blood, in the organs and in the testicles, how far can it go?
The body cannot metabolize plastic, unlike other molecules such as certain pesticides. “When you absorb glyphosate, it passes into the blood and is eliminated in your urine,” analyzes the toxicology specialist. You are able to process it in the body and eliminate it in the urine quite easily. Even though we talk about “microplastics,” they can be 50 to 100 times larger than a molecule of glyphosate. The size scale plays a big part in elimination. Once it enters the body, it is more difficult to get it out.”
More than 200,000 microplastics in a bottle
There are other pollutants that the body cannot metabolize, such as dioxins. These are persistent organic pollutants in the environment. They are produced unintentionally during a combustion process, often linked to older generation incinerators. And they accumulate in the food chain. “Fortunately, there are fewer and fewer of them. If you measure the concentration of dioxins in adipose tissue, you can predict the person’s age without making a mistake. There is a linear relationship between the age of the person and the concentration of dioxin they have in the tissues.”
For the moment, it is impossible to know whether or not the human body succeeds in transforming some of the plastic it ingests. There is not enough research on the subject. But if we ingest more than 200,000 plastic fragments in each bottle, that’s a lot of plastic in the body.
“According to a correlation study, the more microplastics there are, the greater the risk of developing cardiovascular pathology,” insists Xavier Coumoul. But these are not studies of causality, only correlation. We observe a phenomenon A, we find it correlated with phenomenon B.” Another risk considered for health: an inflammatory reaction. When you cut yourself, immune cells intervene, the skin becomes red at the wound level.
Inflammatory diseases in sight?
“Inflammation has a role in the immediate protection of the wound and in its healing, but if the inflammation is chronic, it becomes harmful. Co-inflammatory molecules are present in an environment when they do not need to be there,” explains Xavier Coumoul.
There is a good chance that microplastic in a cellular environment will create an inflammatory response. “The majority of cancers are inflammatory pathologies,” recalls the scientist. If we hypothesize that we are contaminated by microplastics and that these microplastics trigger low-noise inflammatory reactions [sans symptômes]there is a risk that these inflammations will one day be linked to the increase in certain inflammatory pathologies, such as cancer.”
Current studies are sounding the alarm about risks to health and fertility. For now, they form a story that raises questions. We still need to prove the real consequences of these plastic particles for our health. In the meantime, we can always limit our exposure to plastic.
