Reacción a "Evidence on the toxicity of microplastics in the human brain and strategies for their elimination examined"

The article published in Brain Medicine reviews the latest scientific advances regarding exposure to microplastics (MPs) and their toxic effects, with a special emphasis on the need to find strategies to reduce exposure, whether through dietary changes or lifestyle modifications.

Humans are exposed to MPs through ingestion and inhalation. Putting an end to the practice of heating food in plastic materials is one way to reduce MP intake. Several studies highlight this issue, for example, when plastic tea bags are submerged in boiling water, when plastic baby bottles are sterilized, or when food is cooked in plastic containers in the oven or microwave. It is also important to explore possible ways to eliminate MPs once they have entered our bodies, such as promoting activities that induce sweating, like sauna sessions and moderate exercise.

The published work also addresses the main gaps in current research. From my point of view, we should stop classifying all MPs as a single pollutant, since the toxic effect of an MP will depend on several factors, such as its size (the smaller the size, the greater the toxicity), its shape, and most importantly, its content of toxic chemical additives associated with the plastic. Therefore, future research should not be limited solely to the potential physical effects caused by the presence of MPs in our bodies but should also focus on the chemical effects of the additives associated with them.

Finally, the study also highlights temporal trends, showing that MP levels in human samples increase exponentially over time. This is hardly surprising, given that global plastic production data also show year-on-year growth, which leads to increased plastic pollution in our ecosystems and, consequently, increased human exposure to MPs. These data underscore the urgent need to reach international agreements to cap plastic production.