Plastic particles (microplastics) can pass from mother's womb to baby through the placenta. In a study of mice, nanoparticles were found in the brain and heart of the fetus, but the impact on human health is unknown.

Research shows that tiny plastic particles in the lungs of pregnant mice can quickly pass into the heart, brain and other organs of the fetus, the first study in living mammals to show that the placenta cannot block such particles.

The experiment also showed that "Mice exposed to microplastics in the womb weigh significantly less," scientists say, "which is very worrying." Laboratory research has shown that mothers who receive donated placentas after birth have been shown to have polystyrene (a type of plastic) pellets that can pass through the placenta.

Microplastic pollution is widespread across the globe, from Mount Everest to the deepest oceans, and people can ingest these tiny particles through their food, water and breathing.

The health effects of microplastic exposure are still unknown, but scientists say there is an urgent need to assess the issue, particularly for developing fetuses and infants, as microplastics can carry chemicals that could cause long-term health damage.

"We found nanoplastics everywhere we looked, in maternal tissue, in the placenta, and in fetal tissue. We also found them in the fetal heart, brain, lungs, liver, and kidneys," said Professor Phoebe Stapleton of Rutgers University, who led the mouse study.

"This study is very important because it demonstrates the potential for intrauterine transfer of microplastics in mammals, which could also occur in humans. Such plastic particles can be found almost everywhere in the fetus and can even cross the blood-brain barrier, which is very alarming," said Dunzhu Li from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland.

Source: Theguardian

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