PLASTIC FANTASTIC LOVER –
Dec. 18, 2024 – It’s a disturbing thought: At this very moment, tiny crumbs of plastic are trickling through our bodies, a parade of unwelcome houseguests ready to take up residence in some tissue or organ. Our soil, drinking water and food supply, the air we breathe, all carry microplastics …”Plastics are probably one of the largest exposures we experience as humans and it’s been ongoing most of our lives and our parents’ lives,” says Douglas Walker, a professor of environmental health at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health.
These particles are endlessly varied, making them challenging to study. Their size and shape, the type of polymer and the chemical makeup can all have consequences for how they accumulate in our bodies and the potential health effects.
Even one microplastic represents an “analytical nightmare,” says Leslie. “So it’s really hard to make statements over such a broad range of contaminants.”
Walker says scientists are still sorting out how to accurately measure microplastics in humans.
