More Microplastics in Baby Feces Than Adults – Research | Medical Research

According to one study, baby feces contain more microplastics than adults.

Microplastics are plastic particles that are less than 5 mm in size and are released into the environment by breaking large plastic objects.They are a threat to the environment as they are not easily biodegraded, and recent research has shown them. Dust, food, fruits, Bottled water as a result, Animal and human feces..

Human exposure to microplastics may be a health concern, Little known About that degree.of Small studyResearchers at New York University School of Medicine have found that infants have 10 to 20 times higher concentrations of microplastics in their stools, especially with regard to PET (polyethylene terephthalate) microplastics. These are mainly used in the manufacture of textiles, water bottles, cell phone cases, etc.

“Human exposure to microplastics is a health concern,” he said. Kruntachalam Kannan, Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Principal Investigator for this study. “We need to make efforts to reduce children’s exposure. Children’s products should avoid using plastic.”

This study was conducted by the American Chemical Society Environmental Science and Technology Letter..

It has Estimated The average person can consume up to 5 grams of microplastic per week. Some microplastics pass seamlessly through the digestive system and are excreted in the faeces.Some microplastics Accumulates in organs, And recent studies have shown that some fragments cross the cell membrane into the bloodstream.In other studies, the alternation of generations of microplastics Pregnant mother on baby’s placenta..

Little is known about how microplastics affect and in some cases damage the human body, Some tests of laboratory animals It indicates inflammation, cell shutdown, and metabolic problems.

Kannan and his team analyzed the first feces of 6 babies, 10 adults, and 3 newborns using a method called mass analysis to analyze two common microplastics, PET and polycarbonate (PC). Investigated human exposure to. All samples contained at least one type of microplastic.

The levels of PC microplastics were about the same in adults and babies, but the levels of PET microplastics in babies were 10 to 20 times higher.

“We were surprised to find higher levels in babies than in adults, but later tried to understand the different sources of exposure for babies,” said Kannan. “Various products used by children, such as baby’s mouth movements such as crawling on carpets and chewing fabrics, and tools such as toothpaste, plastic toys, baby bottles and spoons, are all exposed to this. It turns out that it could contribute. “

He said these findings were consistent with the findings of other studies investigating microplastic contamination of human feces. Scott CoffinHe was a research scientist at the California Water Resources Management Commission and was not involved in the research.If anything, these results suggest that current estimates of exposure to microplastics are probably underestimated, Coffin cites. the study He believes it is the most rigorous assessment ever made by the University of Wageningen and research researchers.

“A factor not considered in this study is the accumulation of microplastics in post-exposure organs,” Coffin said. According to Coffin, all ingested microplastics are unlikely to be excreted by humans, so overall levels could be even higher. This, among many other details, has not yet been resolved in future research.

For example, when dealing with feces and microplastics, contamination can occur during the experiment (for example, contamination from diapers or the scientific instrument itself). Moreover, according to Coffin, the analytical methods used to calculate the mass of microplastics in feces are relatively rare and, to the best of his knowledge, have not yet been rigorously verified.

Overall, exposure to microplastics and dangers to humans are not well understood, but Coffin said the study provided preliminary data in great need.