An article reviews evidence on the accumulation of microplastics in human brain tissue recently published in Nature Medicine. The authors highlight practical measures to reduce exposure, noting that switching from bottled water to filtered tap water could reduce microplastic intake from 90,000 to 4,000 particles per year. The paper is a commentary in Brain Medicine.
A multidisciplinary team of US researchers has analyzed the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in 52 human cadavers between 2016 and 2024. The concentrations of these particles were higher in the brain than in the liver or kidneys. They were also higher in the brains of people with dementia, although the researchers acknowledge that causality cannot be established. The results are published in the journal Nature Medicine.
A study in mice reveals that immune cells in the brain 'engulf' microplastics, forming clumps that can cause brain clots. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, highlight how microplastics can indirectly damage the brain by disrupting blood flow, rather than directly infiltrating brain tissue cells.
In 2015, the human health impact of exposure to certain chemicals cost the equivalent of $1.5 trillion, says a study published in PNAS. The study estimates cases of ischaemic heart disease and stroke associated with bisphenol A (BPA) exposure; deaths of 55-64 year olds associated with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure; and cognitive losses in children of mothers exposed to brominated flame retardants (PBDEs).
The fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (INC-5) ended without a treaty in Busan, South Korea, in the early hours of the morning. The more than 100 countries participating in what was to be the final round of negotiations have agreed to continue negotiating, reports Reuters.
A study published today in Science reveals a new plastic as durable as conventional plastics that decomposes in seawater. According to the authors, this new material could help reduce microplastic pollution accumulating in the oceans and eventually entering the food chain.
If practices and public policies do not change, the mass of mismanaged plastic waste in the world will double to 121 million tonnes per year by 2050, according to a study published in Science. The article also assesses the potential impact of global measures, such as those envisaged by the forthcoming UN global treaty on plastic pollution, which begins its final negotiating session at the end of this month.
An international team of researchers has analyzed various data sources and scientific literature and identified 3,601 chemical substances in human samples such as blood, urine or breast milk that are known to be in contact with food, for example, because they are used in packaging. According to the authors of the study, “this work shows that food contact materials are not completely safe, even if they comply with regulations, because they transfer known substances to food". The research is published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
More than 52 million tonnes of plastic waste are emitted around the world every year, according to a study published in Nature that inventories plastic pollution in 50,702 cities. It concludes that littering is the largest source of plastic emissions in the global North, and uncollected waste is the largest source in the South.
Researchers have developed a new method to produce a heat-resistant plastic from renewable plant materials. They also claim that it is easily recyclable, decomposing into methanol, which would allow it to enter the circular economy. The research is published in the journal Science.