Microplastics in the Human Body: New Imaging Technology

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic as large as a few millimeters or as small as nanoparticles. Scientists first identified them in the 1970s and as research continued, they are found to exist almost everywhere. They are present in water, soil, and air. Nanoparticles are commonly found in everyday use products like detergents and cosmetics. Because these particles are widespread, researchers are increasingly studying microplastics in the human body and their health consequences.

As a result of their widespread presence, people may swallow or breathe in hundreds of these particles every day without knowing it. Even more concerning, the smallest particles may travel throughout the body accumulating in organs such as the liver, lungs, kidneys, and possibly the brain. This has raised growing concerns about microplastics in the human body and the possible health effects they may cause.

A New Way to Track Microplastics in the Human Body

To better understand microplastics in the human body, researchers in Japan developed a new method to see them more clearly. The research team created very small plastic particles that contain a special fluorescent dye. The dye glows under near-infrared light, which can pass through body tissues.

This imaging technology allows scientists to track the particles in real time using deep-tissue imaging. In other words, they can watch where the microplastics go after they enter the body. According to the research team, this method may help answer questions about how microplastics travel and interact with living tissues.

Creating More Realistic Plastic Particles

Next, the researchers focused on making their test particles look more like real microplastics found in nature. In the real world, plastic breaks down into rough and uneven fragments after being exposed to sunlight, weather, and physical stress. However, many earlier studies used smooth, round plastic particles, which may not behave the same way inside the body.

To solve this problem, the scientists created irregularly shaped nanoparticles from common plastics such as PET, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. They broke plastic granules into very small fragments and added a fluorescent dye so the particles could be tracked. By slightly heating the material and adding special proteins to prevent clumping, the team produced particles between 30 and 300 nanometers. These particles stayed bright and stable for more than 30 days, which makes them useful for long-term research.

Experimental Observations about Microplastics in the Human Body

Finally, the researchers tested these glowing particles in mice to see how they moved through the body. After the mice swallowed the particles, the microplastics stayed in the stomach for several hours before moving into the intestines. Eventually, the particles left the body through waste.

Interestingly, the scientists did not find the glowing particles in other organs, suggesting that very little of the material passed through the intestinal wall. However, smaller particles stayed in the digestive system longer than larger ones. Laboratory experiments with mouse cells revealed to researchers that cells could absorb these irregular particles even at very low levels. This finding shows that particle shape and size may play an important role in how microplastics in the human body interact with cells.

As plastic waste around the world continues to grow, this new tracking method can help scientists better understand how microplastics affect human health. In the future, the research may also help governments and health experts evaluate the risks of microplastics found in food, water, and the air.

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References
Real-time imaging of microplastics in the body improves understanding of health risks
Microplastics and our health: What the science says
How do the microplastics in our bodies affect our health?
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body