Tuesday 18 August 2020

Are We Plastic?

 


As there seems to be no good reason why humans would not be imbibing plastics, researchers at Arizona State University have developed techniques for quantifying these contaminants in human tissues (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/17/microplastic-particles-discovered-in-human-organs). The main problem seems to be assessing the levels in organs without samples being added to by plastic particles in the surrounding air.Their methods were validated by adding material to a variety of human tissues (from an organ bank) before testing. One worrying feature was the detection of bisphenol A in all samples. This compound is associated with plastics and has effects on the endocrine (hormone producing) and reproductive systems of mammals. We essentially now live in a world where the air, oceans and our food are all full of microplastic particles. It turns out that it's not just marine life that has our plastics problem!  

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What's In a Critter's Name? 23. Armadillo

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