Microplastics found in human bloodstream

A research team has become the first to demonstrate that plastic particles from our living environment end up in the human bloodstream. The results of the research project, called Immunoplast, were published on 24 March 2022 in the scientific journal Environment International. The research team was led by ecotoxicologist Heather Leslie and analytical chemist Marja Lamoree.

Blood screened for five polymers

The research team (researchers from VU Amsterdam, Deltares and Amsterdam UMC) developed an analytic method for establishing the trace level of micro- and nanoplastic particles in human blood. The method was applied to the blood of 22 anonymous donors. The blood was examined for the presence of five different polymers, the building blocks of plastic. The extent to which the individual polymers were present in the blood was also determined. Three-quarters of the test subjects appeared to have plastics in their blood.

PET detected most

The overall concentration of plastic particles in the blood of the 22 donors amounted to an average of 1.6 µg/ml, which is comparable to a teaspoon of plastic in 1,000 litres of water (ten large bath tubs). A quarter of the tested donors had no detectable quantities of plastic particles of any type in their blood. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, and polymers of styrene were the most common types of plastic found in the blood samples, followed by poly(methyl methacrylate). Polypropylene was also analysed but the concentrations were too low for an accurate measurement. The next question is how easy it is for these particles to move from the bloodstream into tissues such as in organs like the brain.

Vu.nl