Microplastics Likely Present in All Human Placentas. How Concerned Should We Be?

February 25, 2024February 21, 2024Environment

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Key Takeaways

Microplastics were found in all tested human placenta samples, highlighting a potential risk to mammalian health including humans.
A novel analytical method developed by researchers allows for the accurate quantification of microplastics in biological tissues.
The presence of microplastics in placental tissue raises concerns about their accumulation in the body over time and potential health effects.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in size, have become an increasing concern in recent years as studies find them accumulating in the environment, food supply, and now human bodies. New research from the University of New Mexico reports finding microplastics present in all 62 human placenta samples tested.

The placenta grows during pregnancy to provide oxygen and nutrients for the developing baby. This discovery raises pressing questions around what health impacts microplastic exposure in the womb may have later in life.

“If we’re seeing effects on placentas, then all mammalian life on this planet could be impacted. That’s not good,” said Matthew Campen, PhD, senior author of the study and a professor in UNM’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, in a statement.

New Method Measures Microplastic Levels

Previous studies typically counted microplastic particles visible under a microscope, but many particles are too small to be seen this way. Campen’s team used a new analytical method to accurately quantify the amount of microplastics.

After processing samples to isolate solid materials, the research team analyzed particles using a method called pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry. This identifies unique chemical fingerprints from heated emissions as different plastic polymers combust. Different types of plastic combust at specific temperatures, producing characteristic emissions. These emissions were analyzed by mass spectrometry, giving a fingerprint to identify and quantify each polymer.

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The placental tissue samples contained levels of microplastics ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram. The average concentration was 126.8 micrograms of microplastics per gram of tissue. That may seem miniscule, as a microgram is one millionth of a gram, but Campen worries that steadily increasing amounts could have health consequences even if the immediate effects are unclear.

“Dose makes the poison,’” Campen said. “If the dose keeps going up, we start to worry.”

The most common microplastic found was polyethylene, the material in plastic bags and bottles, making up 54% of the total. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and nylon each accounted for about 10%. The remaining 26% consisted of nine other plastics.

Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow who performed many of the experiments, said this new testing method is an important advance. “We can take it to that next step to be able to adequately quantify it and say, ‘This is how many micrograms or milligrams,’ depending on the plastics that we have,” he explained.

How Microplastics Find Way Into Placenta

Plastics have been widely used since the 1950s. About a third produced is still in use but much of the rest has been discarded into landfills or the environment. There, sunlight and other factors gradually break plastic items into smaller and smaller pieces.

“That ends up in groundwater, and sometimes it aerosolizes and ends up in our environment,” Garcia said. “We’re not only getting it from ingestion but also through inhalation as well.”

These tiny particles make their way into our water, food, and now bodies. The microplastics accumulate over months and years. And although plastic has traditionally been considered inert, nanoplastics less than 1/1000th the width of a human hair may be able to penetrate cell membranes, Campen warns.

Health Effects Still Unclear

Despite this evidence that microplastic exposure begins early in fetal development, what impacts this may have remains uncertain. But Campen suggests this contamination could potentially explain some otherwise puzzling health trends like inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer in young people, and decreasing sperm counts.

The placenta discovery itself raises concerns because this tissue has only been growing for around eight months. If significant microplastic amounts accumulated in that short time, even higher levels may be present in organs accumulating particles over decades.

“Other organs of your body are accumulating over much longer periods of time,” Campen pointed out.

Campen’s team plans further research to investigate outstanding questions about microplastics’ impacts. But he already finds the accelerating pace of plastic pollution deeply troubling.