Microplastics have been found in air, water, food and now ... human blood
USA TodaySep 09, 2022
The Facts
The world's first study to look for plastics in human blood discovered that 17 of 22 participants had significant amounts of plastic particles in their bloodstream.
The Dutch study found PET plastic, a material commonly used to produce drink bottles, in half of its samples. More than a third contained polystyrene. Such plastics can enter the body through the air or via food and drink, but also through lip glosses, toothpastes, and tattoo ink.
The Spin
Narrative A
Let's recognize how dystopian and catastrophic the effect of plastics on the health of the planet and humanity could be. Plastic pollution is a proven culprit behind human fertility issues and more must be done to prevent a black swan cataclysm that could result from our plastic addiction.
Narrative B
We don't yet know if ingesting plastic particles poses a true public health risk. More research is needed to establish long-lasting impacts. Plastics play a crucial part in our daily lives from medical care to food preservation, and whether this is a threat or something we can live with remains to be seen.