Plastics Found in Human Blood for First Time

MAR 25 2022·Updated JAN 23 2023

Story

Image credit: Utah State University [via USA Today]

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.
Independent
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.
France 24
The study called for more funding to determine how the presence of plastics affects the human body.
The Hill
Humans have produced 18.2 trillion pounds of plastic since the early 1950s. Each person ingests about 2,000 plastic particles per week, mostly from bottled and tap water.
USA Today
The UN has agreed on a treaty to curb plastic production with a long-term goal to ratify the accord by 2024.
ITN

Sources Split

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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.

Salon

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.