“When a man has an erection, the corpora cavernosa fill with blood,” said Professor Daniel G. Cyr, holder of the Research Chair in Reproductive Toxicology at the Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Center of the National Institute of Scientific Research.
“And since micro and nanoplastic particles are found in the blood, it is not surprising that they accumulate there. The question is whether it has a harmful effect, and that is much less clear.”
Scientists find micro and nanoplastic particles almost everywhere they choose to look in the human body, but their impact on health remains poorly understood and needs to be studied further.
For example, American researchers recently reported in the medical journal IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal that they detected particles in four of five samples of penile tissue taken from men who had undergone surgery for significant erectile dysfunction.
Seven different types of microplastics were detected, with polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene being the most common. Both substances are used in a multitude of everyday objects.
“This study’s identification of the presence of microplastic particles in penile tissue raises compelling questions regarding their potential influence on erectile function, given their known association with localized tissue adverse effects,” the authors write. .
Other studies published recently have also revealed the presence of micro- and nanoplastic particles in the testicles and in sperm.
Sperm count
Sperm counts have been plummeting for decades, with little understanding of why, and 40 percent of low counts remain unexplained. However, several studies have pointed the finger at chemical pollution.
“The most worrying thing about plastics is that they will often bind other things, other pollutants, heavy metals, viruses, bacteria,” said Mr. Cyr. I think the spread of these viruses or bacteria is much more worrying.”
There is a growing body of scientific literature, he added, that shows that microplastics can have harmful effects on the testicle and on sperm formation. That said, we are not yet in a position to draw conclusions regarding the penis, he stressed: “At most, it tells us that there is a problem.”
Especially since the levels of microplastics that have been detected in the penis are not that high, Mr. Cyr said. On the other hand, the levels that have been measured, during other work, in the testicle were higher than those that had been measured in the placenta.
“The penis is a muscle,” Cyr added. “It’s not the same as the germ cells that go on to form sperm, which are much more sensitive.”
Recent scientific data even raises the hypothesis that microplastics can be transported to organs by the cells themselves, whereas until now it was believed that the particles took advantage of inflammation to thwart the body’s normal protective barriers.
This would mean that the barriers that protect, for example, the brain or testicles will be unable to prevent the entry of microplastics even if they are intact, since the particles are carried by cells.
“When it comes to the penis and erections, microplastics are one thing, but what microplastics carry is something else,” said Mr. Cyr. It’s not just the toxicity of plastic itself: it’s the toxicity of what it can bring with it. And in the future, I think that’s going to be the key to understanding the toxicity of microplastics.”
Micro and nanoplastic particles come from the degradation of larger plastic items. Microplastics range in size from one micrometer (one millionth of a meter) to about five millimeters. Nanoplastics are measured in billionths of a meter. For comparison, the circumference of a human hair is about 70 micrometers.
These particles are so tiny that they can enter the bloodstream (for example, by crossing the intestinal barrier) and go directly to the organs. In addition to possibly having carcinogenic properties, they could be a source of oxidative stress and mimic the action of certain hormones.
Humans are exposed to micro- and nanoplastic particles in outdoor and indoor environments through food, beverage consumption, air, and many other sources, including cosmetics and personal care products.
