You may already have microplastics in your brain

Microplastics are an inescapable part of life in 2023 and new research has shown that we may already have them in our brains.

A study conducted on mice has shown that they can cross the blood-brain barrier, and it could be all kinds of bad news for human health.

Mice were fed micro and nano-plastics as part of the study and just two hours later their brains were found to contain them.

Microplastics have been found in animals across the world and also in humans in the past. However, while we previously knew that they moved around the body, it wasn’t known whether they could cross into the brain in human beings.

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Certain particles are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, but a brand new MNP transport mechanism was discovered in the new study which could change our understanding of microplastics travelling in the body.

It’s an especially concerning notion, given that plastic particles can enter the body from plastic drinking bottles and from food packaging. It’s thought that 90,000 plastic particles a year can enter a human being just from drinking bottled water.

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The new study is published in the journal Nanomaterials, and one of the lead researchers is Lukas Kenner.

The team states that microplastics once in the body could increase the risk of a number of diseases.

“In the brain, plastic particles could increase the risk of inflammation, neurological disorders or even neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s,” Kenner said.

“To minimise the potential harm of micro and nano plastic particles to humans and the environment, it is crucial to limit exposure and restrict their use while further research is carried out into the effects of MNPs,” he added.

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