Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Microplastics and Your Health
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924 Microplastics and Your Health
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
Plastic is so prevalent in the environment that it’s been found in the most remote parts of the earth. It’s even in the blood in our veins and breast milk.
That’s because almost ninety-five percent of tap water in the US contains plastic particles called microplastics. It’s also in much of our food.
The World-Wildlife Fund gave a jarring comparison, that the average American ingests about a credit card a week worth of plastic. In a year, that’s just over half a pound. What’s not conclusive yet is the impact this has on our health.
What’s indisputable is the global demand for plastics. And ninety percent of plastic made globally is not recycled. So, millions of tons of it end up in landfills and become so fragmented they break down into microplastics.
Studies have found plastic particles in our blood, feces, lungs, intestines, and even the placenta. To make things more concerning, up to ten thousand chemicals are used to make plastic.
Recent studies now implicate these tiny plastics in heart disease. They accumulate in fatty plaques inside blood vessels. The study found that people with plastic-containing plaques were almost five times more likely to get a stroke, heart attack or die compared to people with plastic-free plaques.
In animal studies, microplastics cause inflammation, neurotoxicity, and disruption in the respiratory system and the gut microbiome.
The studies are still preliminary, but we believe the impact on human health will continue to be found. The impact on the environment is already here.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast. Sign up for expanded print episodes at www.illuminascicom.com
