Research discovers microplastics in every human placenta

In a study published on February 17 2024 in the journal Toxicological Sciences, a team led by Matthew Campen, PhD, Regents' Professor in the UNM Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, reported finding microplastics in all 62 of the placenta samples tested, with concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 790 micrograms per gram of tissue.

Microplastics are present in virtually everything we consume, from bottled water to meat and plant-based food.Additionally, research has shown that these particles have infiltrated the human body, with microplastics detected in organs and tissues.

While microplastics are already present in our bodies, it is unclear what health effects they might have. Traditionally, plastics have been assumed to be biologically inert, but some microplastics are so small, measured in nanometers,and are capable of crossing cell membranes.

“The growing concentration of microplastics in human tissue might explain puzzling increases in some types of health problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer in people under 50, as well as declining sperm counts,” said Campen.

For the study, Campen and his team, in collaboration with scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and Oklahoma State University, investigated donated placental tissue. They utilized saponification to chemically process the samples, breaking down fats and proteins to create a soap-like substance. Subsequently, each sample was subjected to ultracentrifugation, resulting in a plastic nugget settling at the bottom of a tube. Employing pyrolysis, the researchers heated the plastic pellet in a metal cup to 600 degrees Celsius, capturing gas emissions as various types of plastic combusted at specific temperatures.

The findings showed that the most prevalent polymer in placental tissue was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. It accounted for 54% of the total plastics. Polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC) and nylon each represented about 10% of the total, with the remainder consisting of nine other polymers.

The concentration of microplastics in placentas is particularly troubling, said Campen, because the tissue has only been growing for eight months (it starts to form about a month into a pregnancy). “Other organs of your body are accumulating over much longer periods of time.”

“It’s only getting worse, and the trajectory is it will double every 10 to 15 years. So, even if we were to stop it today, in 2050 there will be three times as much plastic in the background as there is now. And we’re not going to stop it today.” concluded Campen.

Reference: Marcus A Garcia, Rui Liu, Alex Nihart, Eliane El Hayek, Eliseo Castillo, Enrico R Barrozo, Melissa A Suter, Barry Bleske, Justin Scott, Kyle Forsythe, Jorge Gonzalez-Estrella, Kjersti M Aagaard, Matthew J Campen. Quantitation and identification of microplastics accumulation in human placental specimens using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Toxicological Sciences, 2024; DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae021