More evidence found of microplastics infiltrating human brain, study says

What are microplastics?

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that measure less than 5 millimeters and these tiny particles are finding their way into our drinking water, food, and even our blood.

Scientists in Brazil have found more evidence of microplastics infiltrating the human body.

While it has been previously reported that microplastics were found in human brain tissue, this recent study discovered these tiny particles in the olfactory bulbs of the brain which are responsible for processing smells.

Microplastics from clothes and packaging

Fifteen human cadavers were observed in the study and of those 15, eight had evidence of microplastics in their brain tissue, researchers said.

The most common types of microplastics that were found came from common items such as clothing and packaging materials.

The nose is a gateway

This recent evidence further confirms the nose is an "important entry site for environmental air pollutants," researchers said.

What are microplastics and nanoplastics?

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that measure less than 5 millimeters and nanoplastics measure less than 1 micrometer. So in short, they are very small pieces of plastic that are not easily detectable to the naked eye.

Microplastics are everywhere

Several studies this year have looked at how prevalent microplastics are in our drinking water and in people’s tissue, such as hearts, brains and testicles, with doctors and scientists still not quite sure what it means in terms of human health threats.

"The big time bomb of microplastics are these microplastics released in the Global South mainly," Costas Velis, a Leeds environmental engineering professor, told The Associated Press. "We already have a huge dispersal problem. They are in the most remote places ... the peaks of Everest, in the Mariana Trench in the ocean, in what we breathe and what we eat and what we drink."

What does this mean for our health?

Available information indicates plastics can spark inflammation and cause other problematic changes in the body that can, for example, raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

A small study in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year suggested, but did not prove, that patients with evidence of plastics in their arteries were at greater risk of death from heart attacks and strokes. But an expert not involved in the research suggested the study may have overstated any effects.

"Even though there’s a lot we still don’t know about microplastic particles and the harm they cause to humans, the information that is available today is in my mind very concerning," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Boston College.