Microplastics, or pieces of synthetic material too small to see without a microscope, have appeared everywhere, including inside humans.
A new study, however, has made a further alarming discovery, especially among expecting and new mothers. Research published in the medical journal Polymers uncovered that microplastics found their way into breast milk in 26 out of 34 samples they studied. The most commonly found plastics included polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride. The pieces ranged in size between 2 and 12 µm. When comparing the amount collected relative to the specific patientsâ data, such as age, diet, and use of cosmetics, researchers could not find a relationship, concluding that microplastic is so ubiquitous that exposure is inevitable.
The scientists selected 34 pregnant patients with no pregnancy complications and had them record their diets from a week before delivery to a week after. Researchers especially wanted to note fish, shellfish, and packaged foods. Scientists then carefully removed the samples’ microplastic pieces from organic materials, taking as much care as possible to avoid introducing microplastics from the environment.
