Plastic ingestion changes cells, say scientists – 09/03/2023 – Environment

Alarming new evidence is emerging about the potential damage caused by widespread plastic pollution, with significant levels of microscopic plastic particles discovered in many human organs and a new disease identified in seabirds.

People now consume, on average, about five grams of microplastics a week, ingested in food and drink and inhaled when breathing polluted air, Professor Philip Demokritou of Rutgers University told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. , in Washington.

“What’s really alarming is that microplastics get into cells and interfere with nuclei, which raises concerns about potential DNA damage,” he said. “Another alarming example is that they can interfere with the digestion and absorption of important nutrients.”

Separately, on the 3rd, scientists at the Natural History Museum in London announced the discovery of a new disease in seabirds caused exclusively by the ingestion of plastic. They called the condition plasticosis — a fibrotic disease caused by small pieces of plastic that inflame the digestive tract. Persistent inflammation damages tissues, which become scarred and misshapen.

Studying shearwaters on Lord Howe Island, Australia, they found that the proventriculus — the first part of the birds’ stomach — was scarred widely. Birds that ate more plastic had more scars.

“While these birds may look healthy on the outside, they’re not doing well on the inside,” said Alex Bond, the museum’s curator in charge of the birds. “This study is the first time that stomach tissue has been investigated in this way and it shows that plastic consumption can cause serious damage to the digestive system of these birds.”

Affected birds become more vulnerable to infections and parasites, while losing some of their ability to digest food and absorb vitamins.

At the scientific association meeting, Luisa Campagnolo of the University of Rome Tor Vergata described recent research by Italian scientists who found tiny plastic particles from various sources in human placentas collected from six women with normal pregnancies.

Another study identified plastic particles “not only in the placental tissue, but also in the meconium, the baby’s first stool, which means that the particles can cross the placenta and reach the fetus,” Campagnolo said.

“A large number of different types of plastic particles have been identified,” he added. “The most abundant is PVC, but basically all other types of plastic that are part of everyday consumer products were present.”

Craig Bennett, chief executive of UK conservation group The Wildlife Trusts, said the research “underscores my fear that we are witnessing just the beginning of the plastic problem. Our seas, rivers and fields are already awash in plastic pollution. .Research shows how humans and natural life consume microplastics by eating, drinking and breathing.”

^{Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves}