Study suggests pollutants may be linked to rise in neurodegenerative diseases
Researchers in Brazil have found microplastics in human brain tissue, according to a new study published Monday in the American Medical Association's JAMA journal. revealsMicroplastic pollution has become a growing environmental and health concern in recent years.
Tiny pieces of plastic measuring between 0.0055 and 0.025 millimetres have been detected in various human tissues and the bloodstream in the past, but their presence in the brain had not been documented until now, the article explains.
A team from the University of Sao Paulo's School of Medicine examined the brains of 15 deceased people between the ages of 33 and 100 who had lived in Sao Paulo, the country's largest city. The research was conducted between February 2023 and May 2024.
The scientists focused on tissues in the olfactory bulb, a small part of the brain that processes smell. Microplastics were detected in samples taken from eight of the 15 individuals analysed.
A total of 16 synthetic polymer particles and fibers were identified, with polypropylene being the most common polymer (43.8%).
The location in the brain led researchers to speculate that humans inhale the ubiquitous pollutants through the nose.
“Propylene is everywhere, in furniture, carpets, clothes,” The study's lead author, Dr. Thais Mauad, told NBC News. “We know that the place where we are most exposed to particles is indoors, because all our houses are full of plastic.”
Polypropylene is also widely used in food packaging, such as bottles, jars, yoghurt containers and hot drink cups. The breakdown of single-use bottles and containers creates microplastic particles which subsequently reach the human body through the digestive tract or by inhalation.
The presence of microplastics in the olfactory bulb means that it could be a “potential route” for the particles to reach other parts of the brain, the researchers also discovered.
Given “widespread environmental pollution with plastics”, The findings “should be cause for concern,” Researchers say microplastics could be contributing to the “increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases”.
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The first study to estimate human ingestion of plastics, published in 2019, suggested that the average human ingests 50,000 microplastic particles each year.
Another study found that the average person could be ingesting approximately five grams (0.18 oz) of plastic each week, the equivalent in weight of a credit card.
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