The smaller plastic particles are, the easier they are to be absorbed by cells. In addition, shape, surface and chemical properties play an important role in answering the question of how the particles affect human tissue. This is the result of a study by researchers at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), which was published in the journal “Microplastics and Nanoplastics”.
“With this study we want to help close the still fairly large gaps in knowledge on the subject of the health effects of 'nanoplasts'. However, these are laboratory experiments with cell cultures that cannot easily be transferred to humans.”
Dr. Holger Sieg, head of the research project
Plastic particles enter the environment from weathering and decaying plastic, car tire wear, clothing and many other sources. This means that different types of microplastic particles can be inhaled or ingested with drinks and food.
According to current knowledge, microplastics are considered to pose a comparatively low risk to human health. It is between one micrometer (millionth of a meter, unit µm) and five millimeters (thousandth of a meter, unit mm) and is therefore too “bulky” to be absorbed by human cells to any significant extent and distributed throughout the body. It is indigestible and is largely excreted.
Nanoplastics can get into cells
The situation is different with smaller particles, submicroplastics and nanoplastics. These particles are between one nanometer (billionth of a meter, unit nm) and 1000 nanometers (equivalent to one micrometer) in size. It is not yet known with certainty whether and in what quantities they can enter the human body.
Holger Sieg and his team worked on submicrometer and nanoplastics and their effects on human small intestine and liver cells. Because these particles are so small and difficult to study, obtaining reliable insights into their influence on human tissue is no easy task. The BfR team used, among other things, various microscopy and testing methods. The cells were exposed to various plastics, such as those used in plastic tableware and cutlery or in food packaging.
Intestinal mucosa only absorbs a small number of microparticles
It turned out that the smaller these particles were, the more particles were absorbed. The type of particles also played an important role. The small intestinal cells, as a natural barrier between the intestinal contents and the organism, proved to be rather resistant. Only a small amount of microplastic “seeped” into the cell. The even smaller particles in the submicrometer range, however, could be measured in larger quantities in intestinal and liver cells. The particles either attached directly to the cell membranes or became trapped in small vesicles of cell membrane, a process called endocytosis.
It is not yet clear whether such artificial inclusions can disrupt the cell's normal metabolism. Plastic particles could also bind potentially harmful substances and introduce them into the cell as a “Trojan horse”. Inflammatory processes in tissue, for example, are discussed as possible effects of submicrometer and nanoplastics. The BfR research group wants to investigate the extent to which this is the case in further studies.
“Although we worked in the laboratory with a model system that can only represent reality in a very simplified manner, our findings can help close gaps in our knowledge about the behavior of the smallest plastic particles. However, it cannot yet be said whether the results are also valid for humans. To do this, the laboratory findings must be checked in follow-up tests.”
Dr. Holger Sieg, head of the research project, BfR expert
About the BfR
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the scope of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
It advises the federal government and the federal states on food, chemical and product safety issues. The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely related to its assessment tasks. Source: German Health Portal
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