Microplastics Found in Human Blood for the First Time

Plastic particles were detected in 77% of blood samples tested, quantifying, for the first time, how much plastic is floating in the typical human's bloodstream.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Researchers in The Netherlands analyzed blood samples from 22 healthy volunteers; plastic particles were found in 17 — a rate of 77%

• The mean concentration of plastic particles in the blood was 1.6 µg/ml, showing a first measurement of the concentration of the polymeric component of plastic in human blood

• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) …