Plastic particles found in food, air could be passed to unborn babies: study

By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Tiny particles of plastic in food and air could be passed from pregnant women to their unborn babies, a new study reveals.

These plastics can hinder fetal growth and restrict the development of children’s brains, livers, testicles, immune systems and metabolisms.

Across the planet, microplastics plague the environment as erosion chips away at the billions of tons of plastics that are exposed to the elements each year.

These particles creep into the food we eat and the air we breathe, with a person ingesting, on average, a credit card’s worth each week.

Dr. Philip Demokritou, the Henry Rutgers Chair and professor in nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Jersey, said: “The use of plastics has exploded since the 1940s due to their low cost and versatile properties.

“From nine billion metric tonnes produced over the last 60 years, 80 percent ended up in the environment, and only ten percent were recycled.”

Now, a new study has revealed that this plastic could pass from mother to child during pregnancy.

The team fed five pregnant rats food containing nanoscale plastics.

A nanometer is a one billionth of a meter, meaning these particles are too small to be seen.

They found that the nanoplastic particles permeated not only their placentas but also the livers, kidneys, hearts, lungs and brains of their offspring.

Dr. Demokritou said: “Petroleum-based plastics are not biodegradable, but weathering and photooxidation break them tiny fragments.

“These tiny fragments, called micro-nano-plastics, are found in human lungs, placentas and blood, raising human health concerns.

“As public health researchers, we are trying to assess the health risks from such an emerging contaminant to inform policymakers and develop mitigation strategies.

“The goal is also to increase the reuse and recycling of plastics and even replace them with biodegradable, biopolymer-based plastics.

“This is part of our bigger societal goal towards sustainability.”

He added: “Much remains unknown, but this is certainly causing for concern and follow-up study.”