Global campaigners and experts are urging prompt action on the harmful effects of plastic on human health.

Their requests are in response to a recent analysis that suggests indoor spaces may be a significant contributor to the pollution caused by microplastics. Put simply, it indicates that plastic particles can enter the brain swiftly and are easily ingested.

Microplastics were found to be present in the olfactory bulb, which is located near the base of the brain, according to study conducted by Professor Thais Mauad and Dr. Luis Fernando Amato-Lourenco of the Universities of Sao Paulo and Freie Universität Berlin.

The olfactory route is probably where foreign particles enter the brain, based on the scientists’ finding of microplastics in both the nose and the bulb.

How was the finding made by the scientists?

Eight of the fifteen samples of brains obtained from the deceased citizens of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were found to contain plastic fibers and particles by the researchers.

They found that polypropylene, which is commonly used for bottles, clothes, and food packaging, was the most frequently found plastic.

Worrisomely, they also discovered that the quantity of tiny nanoplastics that more easily enter the human body is far larger than previously believed due to the presence of microplastics with a diameter of 10 microns.

According to Professor Thais Mauad, the primary researcher from the University of São Paulo, “this study finds that the olfactory pathway is a potential major entry route for plastic into the brain, meaning that breathing within indoor environments could be a major source of plastic pollution in the brain.”

“With much smaller nanoplastics entering the body with greater ease, the total level of plastic particles may be much higher. What is worrying is the capacity of such particles to be internalised by cells and alter how our bodies function.” 

Specifically, the ability of these particles to become internalized within cells worried the researchers. Put simply, they may affect the way cells work, especially when they interact with a child’s organs. Thus, they have the potential to significantly impact adult life as well.

Supporters of a UN Global Plastics Treaty that appropriately addresses the effects of plastic on human health, including the Plastic Soup Foundation and the Plastic Health Council, provided funding for the study.

What more information concerning the risks that plastics pose to human health has come to light?

This study is a response to Professor Dr. Lukas Kenner of the Plastic Health Council’s April discovery of plastic in the body.

He discovered that exposure to microplastics can cause cancer cells in the gut to spread more quickly, suggesting that plastics may be a major factor in the genesis of early-onset cancer.

According to other studies, exposure to plastics may also have negative effects on human health, such as heart disease, endocrine disruption, and lower fertility.

“Plastic has become as synonymous as air is to breathing. Time and time again scientists are peeling back the cover on plastics’ dangerous effects on human health,” according to Maria Westerbos, co-founder of the Plastic Health Council and founder of the Plastic Soup Foundation.

“The international community is only months away from the final Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, and yet policymakers are giving in to the petrochemical giants. The international community cannot waste any more time, they must finally listen to science, once and for all.” 

Nowadays, plastic is produced annually in excess of 500 million tonnes for a wide range of uses.

In addition to compiling a list of over 16,000 compounds identified in plastic items worldwide, scientists also discovered that over 4,000 of these chemicals posed a risk to the environment and public health.

A United Nations Global Plastic Treaty final round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in South Korea in November. Campaigners and scientists who are primarily worried about the draft provisions’ exclusion of measures that completely address the impact of plastic pollution on human health will be calling for quick action during the event.

The Plastic Health Council argues that all single-use plastic products should be eliminated while simultaneously reducing the production quantities of plastics through an influential treaty guided by science.

They also want governments to step up and enforce the correct testing of all chemicals in plastics, warning future generations about the ever-more concerning risks posed by microplastics.