Microplastics linked to cancers, impacts reproductive, digestive and respiratory systems - study finds

Largely based on animals, with some human research, the study concluded that microplastic exposure impacted the reproductive, digestive and respiratory systems. Photo / 123rf

By RNZ

We all know that microplastics are now ubiquitous in our environments, but we still don’t know their true impact on human health.

A group of researchers from the University of Sydney – in conjunction with the University of California – recently published a major scientific review into how microplastic exposure can affect our health.

The University of Sydney’s Dr Nicholas Chartres was the lead author and told RNZ’s Sunday Morning the study was the most rigorous to be established.

“It’s one of the largest but the most systematic.

“The methods we used in this particular review is essentially the gold standard for how you evaluate a body of evidence, the methods you use,” he said.

• Explainer: Microplastics detected in human blood, should we be worried?

The study is the first systematic review of microplastics using methods approved by the US National Academy of Sciences.

Largely based on animals, with some human research, the study concluded that microplastic exposure impacted the reproductive, digestive and respiratory systems. There were also suggested links to colon and lung cancer.

“Across all of the different studies is we saw everything heading towards the same direction and that was towards harm.

“We were looking at things like sperm quality and whether [microplastics] affect reproductive hormones.

“We were looking at whether there were changes in the length of things like the small intestine, and whether there were changes in other biological markers like chronic inflammation.”

Chartres acknowledged that it was scary but also important the public know this kind of information.

“What we have learnt through the last few decades is that we get these early predictors.

“We’ve only just started realising that these tiny fragments of plastics that break down over time in our environment could affect our health.”

He said we need to get governments to take action, like banning single-use plastics immediately.

Chartres said it was not only the plastic but the chemicals it carries into the body, and they were everywhere.

“They eventually break down into our environmental media, they get in the groundwater, they get in the soil and they get in our air.”

“We can’t recycle our way out of this issue,” he said.

- RNZ

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