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riazrahman t1_jcacrmg wrote

They found micro plastic would disrupt neural crest cells of developing embryos, but are most developing embryos in the world exposed to those levels of microplastics yet is my question

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RecoveringGrocer t1_jcb5zqf wrote

From the article:

> We used a high concentration of polystyrene particles, that would normally not be present in an organism. But it shows what nano-plastics can do in extreme cases on very young embryos.

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LordIndica t1_jcb3f7n wrote

We have found detectable levels of microplastics in all parts of the human placenta: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297

It would seem the answer is "yes", depending on the region you are pregnant in.

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DooDooSlinger t1_jccifkt wrote

The answer is no. The question is not about detectable levels but about levels comparable to these leading to the effects in the article. The article itself mentions that the levels are not even remotely close to those found in any organism.

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Lyotan t1_jccv1mr wrote

You asked the right question. So I spent 2 hours reading this paper and the recent study on microplastics in human blood. (linked near the end of the paper)

Fair warning i am not a qualified scientist.

1st, the metrics aren't truly comparable because we aren't good at measuring microplastics yet? This paper used known lab prepared samples. Meanwhile, the blood study was very limited by the minimum level of detecting any quantity of plastic and inability to count the number or size of particles.

2nd, the blood study restricted itself to filtering out only microplastics >700nm, the chicken study used a few 1,000nm and 500nm particles for certain parts of the experiment but the most work was done with 25nm specifically because it was the most lethal to chicks in their previous study.

3rd, and possibly most important, the point of this paper was to find where the nanoplastics preferred to go in embryo development and if they had any specific potential effects. ESPECIALLY in regards to new microplastics based medication and treatment options being explored right now.

TLDR: After looking at the human blood study concentrations and how much passes through the placenta, we aren't nearly at the level used in the chicken experiment. But microplastic levels are only going to increase, even if we all stop using plastic today. Importantly, microplastic medication/treatments in development need to take extra cautions in further study.

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MovingClocks t1_jcdy9m9 wrote

How do you even treat this? It’s physical damage, like asbestos. It’s not virus, bacteria, or genetic change that can be medicated for

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Lyotan t1_jcen28t wrote

Oh I have no idea, unfortunately. The fact that they even have embryonic medications and treatments these days is amazing.

If you read what I typed earlier as "medication for treating microplastic complications", it was intended as "medication based on using microplastics as a key ingredient"

It is in extremely early theoretical testing, it seems? https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.abm5551 The OP paper seems to be suggesting caution on this line of study.

We already have many non plastic nanoparticle medications, and the number is accelerating with technology.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/List-of-globally-marketed-nanomedicines-approved-by-the-FDA-and-the-EMA_tbl1_357704523

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oooshi t1_jcb25x1 wrote

I remember reading recently that all breastfed babies are exposed to micro plastics from their mothers

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mohelgamal t1_jcdiysf wrote

They don’t get exposed to that dose, so the damage would be limited as of now, but overtime, since these PFAs accumulate at a much higher rate than they degrade, the level we are exposed too will rise steadily

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