Vorkommen von aerosolisierten Kunststoffen im neugeborenen Gewebe nach Exposition im Mutterleib: Dieselbe Art von Mikro- und Nanoplastik, die Mütter während der Schwangerschaft inhalierten, wurde in Lungen-, Leber-, Nieren-, Herz- und Gehirngewebe der Nachkommen gefunden, findet eine neue Studie an Ratten. In einer Kontrollgruppe wurden keine Kunststoffe gefunden.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724055001

A Rutgers Health study reveals the presence of aerosolized plastics in neonatal tissue following exposure in utero

Plastic pollution – tiny bits of plastic, smaller than a grain of sand – is everywhere, a fact of life that applies even to newborn rodents, according to a Rutgers Health study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Researchers have long understood that micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPs), which enter the environment through oxidation and natural degradation of consumer products, are easily deposited in the human body through inhalation, absorption and diet.

To assess the persistence of micro- and nanoplastic particles in neonatal tissue following maternal exposure, Stapleton and colleagues exposed six rats to aerosolized food-grade plastic powder for 10 days during pregnancy.

Rodents are good test subjects for this type of study, Stapleton said, because humans and rodents both possess a hemochorial placenta, meaning that maternal and fetal blood don’t come into direct contact during circulation.

Two weeks after birth, two newborn rats – one male and one female – were tested for micro- and nanoplastic exposure. In both cases, the same type of plastic that the mothers inhaled during pregnancy were found in the offspring’s lung, liver, kidney, heart and brain tissue. No plastics were found in a control group.

Stapleton said the findings are one more piece of evidence illustrating the potential dangers of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment.