Then Amsterdam researchers in 2022 found microplastics in the blood of Dutch people many – including people working in the plastics industry – couldn’t believe it. But new research at the VU with 68 new test subjects now confirms the previous findings: there really are micro- and nanoplastics in human blood.
This can be read in the magazine Microplastics and Nanoplastics. For the study, scientists from the Vrije Universiteit took some blood from 68 people. They then looked for various polymers in that blood, such as polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC).
The results
The researchers found polymers in 64 of the 68 blood samples analyzed. In 17 of the 68 blood samples analyzed, the researchers were also able to determine how many polymers were present in the blood. “We use a difference between Limit of Quantification (LOG) wide Limit of Detection (LOD),” explains researcher Marja Lamoree Scientias.nl out. “The LOQ is 3.3 times higher than the LOD. Below LOQ we cannot say how much of the polymer is present, but we can say that it is there. So we can say that polymers were found in 64 (of the 68) blood samples, but in 17 (of the 68) we can say with certainty how much it is.” On average, for those 17 blood samples, 1.1 micrograms of polymers were found in every milliliter of blood.
Polyethylene
The type of plastic most commonly found was polyethylene. This is a commonly used material, which is used to make plastic bottles and bags, among other things. After polyethylene, PVC was the type of plastic that appeared most often in the blood of the test subjects, followed by polyethylene terephthalate (better known as PET). This type of plastic is widely used to make PET bottles and other packaging materials for food.
Intake
The research naturally raises the question of how exactly the plastic ended up in the blood. “This can be done by inhalation (absorption through the lungs) or through food and drink (absorption from the intestines),” says Lamoree. “Absorption through the skin seems less likely.”
Previous research
The research follows an earlier study, published in 2022, in which the same research group showed for the first time that microplastics can be found in the bloodstream. However, their findings were then met with considerable resistance and disbelief – not least from the polymer industry. However, the new research now confirms the findings. “This proves that we are on the right track when measuring MNPs (micro- and nanoplastics, ed.) in blood,” says Lamoree. “And that this is necessary to assess the potential health risks associated with this exposure.”
Because establishing that micro- and nanoplastics exist in human blood is only the prelude to more. A logical follow-up question is whether micro- and nanoplastics in the blood are harmful to health. “A lot of research is being done into the harmfulness of exposure to microplastics,” says Lamoree. “But the difficulty lies in the diversity of the polymers: different types, sizes, shapes, more difficult to absorb, etc. But it is becoming clearer that harmful effects are experienced after exposure.” She refers, for example, to a recent study in which a link was found between the absorption of microplastics in dog testicles and reduced sperm production. But it could not be concluded from that study whether microplastics are really harmful to reproduction. More research into the exact impact of microplastics on reproduction, but also on many other bodily functions, remains desperately needed. But of course it all starts with determining where in our body, which ones and in what quantities microplastics can be found. And the new research from VU Amsterdam certainly contributes to this.