Microplastics not only pose a threat to the environment, but also to our health. But how can we defend ourselves if they are now in the water we drink, the food we eat and even the air we breathe? Immunologist Antonella Viola, speaking on the Press, sound the alarm. Let us first remember that to date, plastic production is around 450 million tonnes per year, but this figure will triple by 2060 if adequate regulations are not implemented. Meanwhile, small fragments of material (the dimensions of microplastics are less than 5 millimeters) invade our daily lives.
Numbers
Recent studies, says Viola, have shown that an adult ingests around 2,000 microplastics per year through table salt alone and that there are around 240,000 particles (mostly nanoplastics) in every liter of bottled water. . Then there are marine waters, where material accumulates in the fish we eat and is filtered out by mussels and clams. To the point that molluscs are used by certain researchers to help them in water cleaning operations.
Health risks
Scientific research into the impact of microplastics on human health is only just beginning. However, some effects have already been discovered. First, micro- and nanoplastics have been shown to directly damage cells and cause inflammation and toxicity. But they can also carry other contaminants, such as heavy metals or PFAS, which adhere to the particles and are transported with them into our body. Studies in humans have led to the discovery of microplastics in blood and urine, but also in the lungs and liver, as well as in the placenta and breast milk.
The Italian study
An Italian study published a few days ago also demonstrated the presence of plastic in the carotid arteries (the arteries that carry blood to the brain), highlighting how they appear to be a risk factor for heart attacks and accidents. cerebrovascular. In fact, those who accumulate nanoplastics have twice the risk of cardiovascular accidents and death than those who do not. For health and the environment, Viola recalls that we must now aim for a drastic reduction in the use and production of plastics.
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