Episode 3 Hello and welcome to the 3rd episode of my podcast. During this episode, I would like to talk about the dangers of microplastics to human health. It seems to me that this particular topic is the most interesting and important part of my podcast. The thing is that no matter how hard people try to take care of the environment, it is much more important for them to be their comfort and health, which is completely understandable and correct. However, it so happened that if a person rejects plastic as much as possible, the impact of the polymer on the planet will also decrease. That is why it seems to me that it is so important to talk about the impact of microplastics on human health, because this topic concerns every person on Earth more than any other. So, let's dive into the world of microplastics from a medical point of view. To begin with, I'd like to quote The Guardian's co-author, Varun Kelkar, who says: "We don't want to be alarmists in any way, but we are concerned that these non-biodegradable particles that are everywhere can seep and accumulate in human tissues, and we don't know any exact health effects". Or listen what the Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace says: "Polymers can contain toxic additives that are harmful to humans. And some, according to animal studies, can provoke cancer, inflammation and infertility." Scientists themselves are actively studying microplastics, but such а complex research requires time and lots of money. Quite interesting information about "credit card eating" can be found in various Internet sources. This is the name that people associate microplastics with, which have already been found by scientists in human organs and tissues, such as lungs, stomach and blood. Up to 5 grams in size, they can be matched to the weight of a credit card. About 250 grams can be consumed per year, And this is the approximate weight of a small tablet. Just imagine the volumes of particles that enter your body every day! Bank card per day! However, the most interesting is yet to come. To begin with, I would like to mention that French researchers and scientists found that 79% of bottled water in the country is contaminated(контаминэйтед) with microplastic particles, and this number includes products of world-famous brands that produce water, such as Evian, Perrier, Carrefour, Badoit, Cristaline, Vitte and Volvic. Scientists from the Robert Koch Institute and the German Ministry of the Environment also conducted studies on urine and blood samples of 2,500 children aged from 3 to 17 years old for three years. In 97% of the urine samples, traces of 11 out of 15 different types of plastic were found. There have been a number of experiments that I would like to list, I believe that this would help people to see at the problem of microplastics in a different light. Thus, for the first time, researchers from Vrije University of Amsterdam have found traces of microplastics in human blood. Of the 22 participants in the study, 17 people, or 80% of those tested, were found to have tiny particles of the polymer. More than half of the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in plastic bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, which is used to make food packaging, and a quarter contained polyethylene. However, the most important result of the study was the fact that, as it turns out, microplastics can move around our body through one of the most important systems of the human body - the circulatory system. In addition to the circulatory system, a study was conducted at the University of Hull in the UK showing that microplastic fibers reside in the lungs of surgical patients. And their number and variety is astonishing, the scientists say they were "stunned to find a rich set of all shapes and sizes." Also, polymer particles were found in the lower lobe of the lung, which means that Microplastics can not only circulate through the body, but also settle in its organs. Nancy Nadeau, a physician and director of allergy and asthma research at Stanford University, states that "particles of the dangerous polymer cause lung irritation, dizziness, headaches, asthma and cancer because in many studies they are present in the lungs of patients with severe symptoms." However, the scientist clarifies that the information needs to be confirmed by some further researches. Also, Environmental Science & Technolodgy devote a short note to what they wrote about the presence of a sudden correlation of a certain substance from microplastic particles and elevated cholesterol. In accordance with the above, if polymer microparticles increase total cholesterol levels, they correspondingly increase the risk of developing a variety of cardiovascular diseases. But the company states that they are continuing researches in this area. Another interesting experiment was conducted in Turkey by researchers from Rice University, who published the results of their work in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, which stated that "microplastics are a very favorable environment for bacteria resistant to antibiotics, substances that are the only barrier separating humans from dangerous infections, which in itself endanger the future of humans to fight various diseases." All of the above research is thought-provoking, isn't it? It would be worth it, because the microplastic problem is a really serious threat. Professor Dick Wetaak says: "The big question is, what's going on in our body? Do particles remain in the body? Are they carried to certain organs, such as crossing the blood-brain barrier? And are these levels high enough to cause disease? We urgently need to arrange further research to find out." At the moment, as I said, researches in the field of microplastics continues, and at the moment it is difficult to find out exactly the scale of the microplastic problem for humans and the world as a whole. Scientists are scratching their heads trying to figure out whether it is possible that the smallest particles of microplastics – nanoparticles – penetrated into humans through the tissues of their bodies directly from the air. So, I guess it's time to wrap it up. Thanks for your listening!
