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Microplastics May Not Be Harmless After All
A new study discovered microplastics can block blood vessels in the brains of mice, which doesn’t bode well for humans.
You’ve likely seen the terms “microplastics” or “nanoplastics” floating around online, referring to the teeny-tiny bits of plastic originating from the wrappings of consumer goods and the result of large plastic items breaking down. Heck, I’ve already written about them at least twice.
Even still, microplastics aren’t high on most people’s list of things to worry about, considering everything going on right now. This attitude is strengthened by the fact that scientists, while showing concern about the spread of microplastics, have been unsure whether they’re causing us harm.
But that doubt is shifting now due to recent research. For instance, a new study discovered that microplastics can block blood flow in the brains of mice, while another suggests humans have enough microplastics in our brains alone to form a plastic spoon.
Microplastics
Microplastics are tiny, about the size of a grain of rice, or about 5 millimeters in diameter. Meanwhile, nanoplastics are even smaller, at between 1 and 1,000 nanometers across, so teeny we can’t even see them with our naked…
