microplastics & nanoplastics
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Introduction
Classification
Epidemiology
- major sources of microplastics in drinking water include:
- surface runoff, industrial waste, & sewer overflows
- microplastic counts in drinking water range from 0-10,000 particles/liter
- polyethylene terephthalate & polypropylene most commonly detected polymers
- polypropylene is generally considered safe for human use
- microplastics, 94% < 10 uM, found in tap water & bottled water in France[12]
- plastics detected in or excreted from the human body[7]
- polyamide, polyurethane, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyoxymethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, polytetrafluoroethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, polybutadiene, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polylactic acid. polysulfones, nitrocellulose
| micro or nanoplastic | placenta | meconium | breast milk | blood | feces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| polyamide | x | x | x | x | x |
| polyurethane | x | x | x | x | x |
| polyethylene | x | x | x | x | x |
| polyethylene terephthalate | x | x | x | x | x |
| polypropylene | x | x | x | x | x |
| polyvinyl chloride | x | x | x | x | x |
| polyoxymethylene | x | x | x | - | x |
| ethylene-vinyl acetate | x | x | x | - | x |
| polytetrafluoroethylene | x | x | x | - | x |
| chlorinated polyethylene | x | x | x | - | x |
| polybutadiene | x | x | x | - | x |
| polycarbonate | x | - | - | x | - |
| polystyrene | x | - | x | x | x |
| polymethyl methacrylate | x | x | x | x | x |
| polylactic acid | x | x | x | - | x |
| polysulfones | x | x | x | - | x* |
| nitrocellulose | - | - | x | - | -* |
* x indicates micro or nanoplastic has been detected
* - indicates micro or nanoplastic has not been detected in tissue type[7]
* polyethylene is the dominant micro or nanoplastic found in human kidney, liver & brain[6]*
* brain tissues contain higher proportions of polyethylene vs micro or nanoplastics in liver or kidney[6]
* micro or nanoplastic are present largely as nanoscale shard-like fragments
* ~10 grams of microplastics can be isolated from a donated human brain[13]
* greater accumulation of micro or nanoplastics is found in decedent brains with documented dementia, deposition in cerebrovascular walls & inflammatory cells[6]
| placenta | meconium | breast milk | blood | feces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-10 uM/50-240 nM | > 50 uM | 2-5 uM | >= 700 nM | adult:50-500 uM* |
* size of plastics in infant feces: 20-50 uM
| placenta | meconium | breast milk | blood | feces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-10 uM/50-240 nM | > 50 uM | 2-5 uM | >= 700 nM | adult:50-500 uM* |
* size of plastics in infant feces: 20-50 uM
Pathology
- nanoplastics can internalize in neurons via clathrin-dependent endocytosis, resulting in a mild lysosomal impairment slowing degradation of aggregated alpha-synuclein[5]
- brain concentrations from frontal cortex higher than concentrations in liver of kidney[6]
- microplastics found in olfactory bulb of 8 of 15 cadavers[8]
- 75% particles (5.5-26 uM) & 25% fibers (21 uM, mean)
- most common polymer detected was polypropylene (44%)
- pesence of microplastic in the human olfactory bulb, suggest a potential pathway for entry of microplastics* into the brain[8]
- microplastics in the 1-20 uM range are more likely to pass the intestines into the circulation & organs[12]
* study design did not allow for detection of nanoplastics[8]
Physiology
- humans are unlikely to absorb microplastics > 150 uM
- nM microplastics might be absorbed; effects are unknown
- nanoplastics able to cross the plasma-CSF barrier[3]
- microplastics found in the olfactory bulb of the human brain[11]
Adverse effects
- no evidence that microplastics in drinking water supply pose a risk to human health at existing levels, but data is lacking[1]
- patients with carotid artery plaque in which containing microplastics & nanoplastics are at increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or all-cause mortality[2]
- polypropylene microplastics may enhance metastasis-related gene expression & cytokines in breast cancer cells, exacerbating breast cancer metastasis[9]
Laboratory
More general terms
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 World Health Organization (WHO). 2019 Microplastics in drinking-water https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/microplastics-in-drinking-water/en/
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C et al Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 7;390(10):900-910. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38446676 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Krause S, Ouellet V, Allen D et al The potential of micro- and nano-plastics to exacerbate the health impacts and global burden of non-communicable diseases. Cell Rep Med. 2024 Jun 18;5(6):101581 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38781963 PMCID: PMC11228470 Free PMC article. Review.
- ↑ Chandra R, Sokratian A, Chavez KR et al Gut mucosal cells transfer alpha-synuclein to the vagus nerve. JCI Insight. 2023 Dec 8;8(23):e172192. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38063197 PMCID: PMC10795834 Free PMC article.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 Liu Z, Sokratian A, Duda AM et al Anionic nanoplastic contaminants promote Parkinson's disease-associated alpha- synuclein aggregation Sci Adv. 2023 Nov 15;9(46):eadi8716. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37886561 PMCID: PMC10656074 Free PMC article.
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Campen M, Nihart A, Garcia M et al Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Res Sq. Preprint. 2024 May 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11100893/
Nihart AJ, Garcia MA, El Hayek E et al Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nat Med. 2025 Feb 3. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39901044 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1 - ↑ Jump up to: 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Krause S, Ouellet V, Allen D et al The potential of micro- and nanoplastics to exacerbate the health impacts and global burden of non-communicable diseases. Cell Rep Med. 2024 Jun 18;5(6):101581. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38781963 PMCID: PMC11228470 Free PMC article. Review.
- ↑ Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Amato-Lourenco LF et al Microplastics in the Olfactory Bulb of the Human Brain. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2440018 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39283733 PMCID: PMC11406405 Free PMC article https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/282378
- ↑ Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 Park JH, Hong S, Kim OH, Kim CH, Kim J, Kim JW, Hong S, Lee HJ. Polypropylene microplastics promote metastatic features in human breast cancer. Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 17;13(1):6252. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37069244 PMCID: PMC10108816 Free PMC article.
- ↑ Moulun AG Health Impacts of Micro- and Nanoplastics Medscape. December 13, 2024 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/health-impacts-micro-and-nanoplastics-2024a1000n1v
- ↑ Jump up to: 11.0 11.1 Brauser D Microplastics Have Been Found in the Human Brain. Now What? Medscape. November 27, 2024 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/microplastics-have-been-found-human-brain-now-what-2024a1000ln0
Amato-Lourenco LF, Dantas KC, Junior GR et al Microplastics in the Olfactory Bulb of the Human Brain. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 3;7(9):e2440018. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39283733 PMCID: PMC11406405 Free PMC article. - ↑ Jump up to: 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Hagelskjaer O et al Majority of potable water microplastics are smaller than the 20 uM EU methodology limit for consumable water quality. PLOS. Water. 2025. Jan 15. Not indexed in PubMed https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000250
- ↑ Jump up to: 13.0 13.1 Kozlov M Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you? Nature News. Feb 11, 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00405-8
Kozlov M HOW ARE MICROPLASTICS AFFECTING OUR HEALTH? Nature Feature. Feb 13, 2025