Microplastics are an emerging environmental and health risk increasingly linked to adverse outcomes in wildlife and people alike.
A study pending publication in the Journal of the Endocrine Society recently found evidence that their impact can be passed on to future generations.
What’s going on?
“Microplastics (MPs) are small plastic particles that emerge as significant environmental pollutants, and humans are ubiquitously exposed to microplastics,” his abstract began.
As the researchers noted, exposure to microplastics has been linked to chronic health conditions, and previous research has identified microplastic particles in human reproductive tissue.
In the abstract, the authors explained that parental exposure to environmental contaminants has been shown to “increase the risk of cardiometabolic disease” in their children, but parental exposure to microplastics as a distinct pollutant “has not been studied.”
The researchers exposed male mice to the microplastics to assess whether cardiometabolic diseases – such as Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity – would occur more often in their offspring.
Using a new sequencing method, the authors were surprised to find that the female offspring of male mice exposed to microplastics showed “aggravated insulin resistance” compared to their male counterparts.
Ultimately, they concluded that “parental microplastic exposure may have an intergenerational negative impact on offspring metabolic health.”
Why is this study concerning?
As the authors emphasized, microplastics are truly ubiquitous.
Plastic can take centuries to break down, and every year, more of it is manufactured, increasing our exposure to these dangerous plastic particles. Microplastics have been found not only in water, soil, and air, but also in the least disturbed places on Earth.
Researchers have identified microplastics in human reproductive tissues, but they have also been found throughout the human body, including our brain tissue, organs and blood. Due to their pervasiveness, microplastics are impossible to avoid completely.
Studies linking microplastics to adverse outcomes are alarmingly numerous, with new findings emerging routinely, pointing to an ever-increasing environmental and health crisis.
Research tends to focus on direct and immediate effects, but this study highlighted the potential for microplastics to harm future generations without direct exposure. Lead author Changcheng Zhou explained why this was particularly worrying, according to the University of California, Riverside.
“These findings from a mouse study likely have implications for humans. Men planning to have children should consider reducing their exposure to harmful substances such as microplastics to protect both their health and that of their future children,” Zhou advised.
What is being done about microplastics?
Although microplastics are environmentally pervasive, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to minimize direct exposure, as Zhou recommended prospective parents do.
Using less plastic and replacing your most used plastic items with plastic-free alternatives can significantly reduce your exposure to microplastics.
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