Introduction:
Microbeads are tiny plastics that practically exist in every living and non-living thing in the environment and can affect everything on the planet. According to environmental programs conducted by the United Nations, plastic microbeads, especially in personal hygiene products, emerged fifty years ago and are still a potential threat. But in recent times, the existence of microplastics has drastically increased, where the microplastics, when exposed in the long term, can cause harmful systemic conditions like inflammation, infertility, and even death. However, until recently, the evidence of microplastics in human blood has been comparatively less, but the chances of microplastics in human blood are still very evident, considering the era in which everyone lives.
What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are plastic pieces that are smaller than five millimeters in diameter, which serve as a potential threat to the environment, including both human and aquatic life. The plastic that is dumped over the period condenses on treatment with wind, waves, and sunlight into minuscule-sized particles that are given the term microplastics. The sources of these particles include broken-down plastic pieces, resins distorted from plastic manufacturing, beauty products like facial exfoliators containing microparticles, plastic microbeads, and components from the textile and tire industries. The microplastics, over a period of time, accumulate in the oceans and environment, depositing in the bodies of both land and sea creatures, including humans, leading to harmful, irreversible systemic side effects.
How Are Microplastics Seen in Human Blood?
The existence of micro or nanoparticles in human beings was analyzed by testing the contents of the feces, gut, and blood on most of the particles that were found to exist in the digestive tract. This is mostly because humans most commonly ingest these microplastics through the consumption of food and water. Here, blood, being the substance taking up a maximum of up to six to seven percent of the human body, is generally composed of cells, nutrients, and oxygen. But now, because of the contamination of particles in the bloodstream, it can be potentially dangerous. Blood is one component that reaches almost all parts of the body for its functioning, and the fatality level is assessed depending on its elimination from systemic circulation. The blood in which the presence of microparticles is seen is filtered by the kidneys or through the bile duct or can also get deposited in the spleen, liver, other organs, or even the microvasculature like blood capillaries and sinusoids.
What Are the Types of Microplastics?
Although the term microplastics commonly refers to plastic components that are very small in size, based on the composition and microchemical structure, microplastics can be differentiated into various types. There are around thirteen types of microplastics seen, and some of them are polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, low-density polyethylene, etc. Also, the contribution of microplastics that are included in the system is depicted by the driven data and are as follows:
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Beverages and food up to 31.14 percent.
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Lids of bottles and containers up to 16 percent.
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Plastic carry bags up to 11.18 percent.
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Stirrers, straws, beverage containers, and bottles up to 7 percent.
How Do Microplastics Get Incorporated in Human Blood?
As seen earlier, all these causative factors are invariable components that everyone comes across in day-to-day life. Here, the level of mixing of the microplastics within the bloodstream is seen to be high comparatively in healthy individuals as the dispersion of the particles is more due to the different phases, including the protein, lipid, and aqueous state. Microplastics are so small that it has become easier for them to penetrate the tiniest capillaries that are around 5 to 8 meters in diameter. For this reason, there is an alteration in the normal flow of blood dynamics like the usual.
What Are the Damages Caused by the Presence of Microplastics in Blood?
Microplastics are agents that cause long-term damage to the system, but the only good part about it is that the conditions are reversible when detected earlier. These microparticles enter the body at a submolecular or cellular level. The organs that get affected by the presence of plastic in the blood are
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Blood itself as it increases the viscosity of the blood components.
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Increase in blood pressure.
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It affects the filtration of the kidneys, where a progressed condition can also lead to deep vein thrombosis or require dialysis.
What Are the Ways To Eliminate Microplastics From the Body?
As microparticles are components that are already reduced by their size, it is difficult to entirely demolish the particles themselves. However, the deposition and sedimentation of these microplastics can be considerably reduced in the following ways:
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Prioritizing health and following mindful eating, especially avoiding food stored in plastic containers or processed meat.
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Concentrating on more plastic-free diets.
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Eliminating the use of single-use plastics.
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Limiting intake of canned or processed food.
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Avoid using PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles for water consumption.
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Mindfully avoiding plastic-free personal care products.
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Using sustainable, eco-friendly clothing and laundry.
By following all these lifestyle changes, a considerable reduction in the systemic circulation of microplastics is seen. Apart from that, there is no medical management in general required unless, in extreme cases, requiring dialysis.
Conclusion:
As the article discusses, microplastics are inevitable components that everyone comes across in day-to-day life. Because of its long-term sedimentation and non-disintegration capacity, the plastic particles have attained a state where it is almost impossible to destroy. However, the minimal to maximum negative effect these particles have on the body is incomparable and may cause long-term negative effects on human health. Every year throughout the globe, various awareness programs on the prevention and management of microplastics, both on land and water, have been conducted, but even then, the sources of industrial waste continue to prevail as a major and uncontrollable cause. Limiting microplastics is not an individual's job but needs a community approach and mind living as the battle with microplastics is done on an everyday basis, from the air, one breathes to the food one consumes, and to achieve the betterment of the people and their health on the whole.
