Microplastics (small pieces of plastic less than five mm) they are everywhere from dust in the home to food and bottled water. So it’s not surprising that scientists have detected these particles in the feces of humans and pets. In addition, the researchers discovered that infants’ stools contain higher amounts of microplastics than adults.
Microplastics have become one of the main pollution problems produced by humans and are found all over the planet. It can be said that they are everywhere. These particles, smaller than five millimeters, are also found in humans, but something truly shocking has now been discovered: Babies have higher concentrations of microplastics in their stools than adults living in the same area.
This published research Environmental Science and Technology Lettersperformed in infants and adults in New York. On average, the researchers found more microplastics in stool of a six-year-old baby More than the feces of 10 adults.
Analyzing meconium, the first stool of three newborn babies in New York, experts said, concentrations closer to those in adults.
This discovery leads researchers to believe that infants are more exposed to microplastics than adults, possibly due to plastic use. Feeding and drinking utensils, pacifiers or plastic toys that babies chew during teething.
Following this finding, the authors state in a paper that their data “supports the need for further studies with larger sample sizes to supplement and extend their research.”
In this case, a team of scientists led by New York University pediatrician Kurunthachalam Kannan sought to assess people’s exposure to two common types of microplastics: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used to make food containers and clothing, and polycarbonate (PC) used in toys and bottles.
After collecting meconium from three newborns, as well as stool samples from six one-year-old infants and ten adults, they found: each stool sample contained at least one type of plasticbut what surprised them most was the difference between adults and one-year-olds.
” PET concentrations were significantly higher in the feces of infants. PC microplastic concentrations were not significantly different between the two age groups from those in adults,” write the study authors.
Experts point out the possible causes of these high concentrations from the utensils babies use while eating or the clothes they bite into. “One-year-olds have been known to frequently ingest plastic clothing and products. Also, studies have shown that baby food prepared in bottles can release millions of microplasticsand many processed baby foods are packaged in plastic containers, which is another source of exposure in one-year-olds,” the researchers said.
“Furthermore, textiles are a source of PET microplastics. Babies often chewing and sucking on fabrics and therefore exposure of this age group to microplastics found in textiles is of greater concern,” they conclude.
Reference work: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00559
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