Microplastics contaminate almost every part of the environment, including the food chain. They can adsorb different types of chemicals and microorganisms on their surface and thus increase the pollution load. Since microplastics are relatively small, they are easily ingested and can negatively affect the health of consumers. Research in this area has advanced and the first conclusions have been drawn that affirm that microplastics serve as a vehicle for the spread of toxic chemicals in the marine environment.
In addition to PCBs, organochlorine compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, insecticides DDT and HCH, heavy metals such as copper, arsenic, cadmium, lead and chromium, and antibiotics can contaminate microplastics. Microplastics with adsorbed contaminants can represent a potential risk to marine organisms, especially when they enter the food chain through ingestion. The concentration of chemical contaminants in microplastics can be one hundred to one million times higher than in the surrounding water. Ingestion of microplastics with adsorbed micropollutants by aquatic animals is one way these toxic contaminants enter organisms.
In addition to air and water pollution, soil pollution is another possible source of microplastics in the food chain. Soil contamination by microplastics occurs through several routes. These include landfills, soil treatment, use of sewage sludge for soil fertilization, wastewater irrigation, use of compost and organic fertilizers, leftover mulch sheets, tire wear and the atmospheric gradient.
Exposure to these microplastics leads to systematic exposure, while larger microplastics can only produce local effects on the immune system (e.g. inflammation of the intestine.
Micro/nanoplastics (MP/NP) contribute to the emergence of neurological development and/or neurodegenerative risks. Nanoplastics pose a greater risk because their size allows them to more easily cross the placenta and the blood-brain barrier.
The long-term effects of microplastics on the body may include the induction of oxidative stress through the production of reactive oxygen species during the inflammatory reaction, which may lead to cytotoxic effects. Ingesting microplastics can alter energy balance, metabolism and the immune system. When MP/NPs are present in the brain, they can initiate a series of molecular or cellular reactions that can damage the blood-brain barrier, cause oxidative stress, trigger inflammatory responses, affect acetylcholinesterase activity, cause mitochondrial dysfunction, and impair autophagy.
Another risk associated with the consumption of microplastics in food is the microbial association with its surface. The presence of various pathogenic species on the surface of microplastics has been confirmed and the consumption of shellfish increases human exposure to these microorganisms. Microplastics can release harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A, PCBs, PAHs, chlorinated pesticides, BFRs and antibiotics into foods, which can subsequently have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects and act as endocrine disruptors. According to some studies, persistent organic pollutants consumed together with microplastics represent a negligible source of pollution for humans.
I thought Dr. Mercola said IP-6 would lower iron?
I believe Ana Mihalcea MD said on one of her substacks that EDTA and Methylene Blue detoxed the nano plastics.
Microplastics contaminate almost every part of the environment, including the food chain. They can adsorb different types of chemicals and microorganisms on their surface and thus increase the pollution load. Since microplastics are relatively small, they are easily ingested and can negatively affect the health of consumers. Research in this area has advanced and the first conclusions have been drawn that affirm that microplastics serve as a vehicle for the spread of toxic chemicals in the marine environment.
In addition to PCBs, organochlorine compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, insecticides DDT and HCH, heavy metals such as copper, arsenic, cadmium, lead and chromium, and antibiotics can contaminate microplastics. Microplastics with adsorbed contaminants can represent a potential risk to marine organisms, especially when they enter the food chain through ingestion. The concentration of chemical contaminants in microplastics can be one hundred to one million times higher than in the surrounding water. Ingestion of microplastics with adsorbed micropollutants by aquatic animals is one way these toxic contaminants enter organisms.
In addition to air and water pollution, soil pollution is another possible source of microplastics in the food chain. Soil contamination by microplastics occurs through several routes. These include landfills, soil treatment, use of sewage sludge for soil fertilization, wastewater irrigation, use of compost and organic fertilizers, leftover mulch sheets, tire wear and the atmospheric gradient.
Exposure to these microplastics leads to systematic exposure, while larger microplastics can only produce local effects on the immune system (e.g. inflammation of the intestine.
Micro/nanoplastics (MP/NP) contribute to the emergence of neurological development and/or neurodegenerative risks. Nanoplastics pose a greater risk because their size allows them to more easily cross the placenta and the blood-brain barrier.
The long-term effects of microplastics on the body may include the induction of oxidative stress through the production of reactive oxygen species during the inflammatory reaction, which may lead to cytotoxic effects. Ingesting microplastics can alter energy balance, metabolism and the immune system. When MP/NPs are present in the brain, they can initiate a series of molecular or cellular reactions that can damage the blood-brain barrier, cause oxidative stress, trigger inflammatory responses, affect acetylcholinesterase activity, cause mitochondrial dysfunction, and impair autophagy.
Another risk associated with the consumption of microplastics in food is the microbial association with its surface. The presence of various pathogenic species on the surface of microplastics has been confirmed and the consumption of shellfish increases human exposure to these microorganisms. Microplastics can release harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A, PCBs, PAHs, chlorinated pesticides, BFRs and antibiotics into foods, which can subsequently have carcinogenic and mutagenic effects and act as endocrine disruptors. According to some studies, persistent organic pollutants consumed together with microplastics represent a negligible source of pollution for humans.
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/12/1349 (2022).---
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138266892200206X (2022).---
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/362049/9789240054608-eng.pdf
(2022).---
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929139322002839 (2023).---
https://www.cell.com/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(23)00503-0.pdf (2023).----
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389424006332 (2024).--