Study: microplastics may trigger colon cancer
Every day the world produces about one million tons of plastic, and almost half of that mass is single-use packaging, which quickly becomes plastic trash. It accumulates in the ground, rivers and oceans and is broken down by water, bacteria, temperature differences and ultraviolet radiation into tiny particles - micro- and nanoplastics. These particles contaminate everything around them, including drinking water, atmospheric air, animals, fish, and seafood. A lot of research is now being done on how deeply microplastics are able to penetrate the body and how this affects health. Scientists at the Academician B.V. Petrovsky Russian Scientific Center for Surgery are investigating the effect of microplastic particles on the development of inflammation in the intestines and cancer.
"Significant amounts of microplastics are found in seafood (shellfish, crustaceans, fish), in salt, sugar, honey, bottled and tap water. Therefore, the main question of environmental contamination by microplastics is now what risk it poses to human health. Microplastics are found in humans in the lungs, liver, spleen, blood, and breast milk. The largest amount of these particles is found in the large intestine," Natalia Zotova, head of the research team, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Inflammation Immunomorphology of the Research Institute of Human Morphology named after Academician A.P. Avtsyn of the Petrovsky Russian Scientific Center of Surgery, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Scientists have identified a link between the accumulation of microplastic in organs and the development of a number of pathologies - these are inflammatory bowel diseases, liver cirrhosis, lung tumors and others.
"Our studies showed that in healthy mice, although microplastic did not cause inflammation, it acted as a stressor, activating defense mechanisms in the colon. In animals with experimental acute colitis, microplastic led to a more severe course of the disease. Therefore, we recommend that people with gastrointestinal diseases refrain, if possible, from using plastic utensils and cleaning products with microplastic particles. Our speculation about the effect of microplastics on the development of colorectal cancer is particularly alarming. This is the subject of a new stage of our research", - said Natalia Zolotova.
Microplastics enter the human body mainly with water and food. The first target of exposure is the gastrointestinal tract. Different groups of scientists around the world have shown that microplastics can cause metabolic disorders, changes in microflora, inflammatory damage to the intestines, liver, kidneys and even lead to reduced reproductive function. So it already makes sense to make efforts to reduce the amount of particles entering the body.
Even brewing tea in plastic bags (including high-end varieties that are packaged in expensive "pyramids") results in micro-particles getting into the cup and then into the human body. It is necessary to minimize the use of plastic utensils, do not heat food in such containers, do not cut food on plastic boards (when they are scratched with a knife - plastic particles get into the food). It is also recommended to filter water, prefer rock salt to evaporated salt, do not eat shellfish often - they pass through huge volumes of sea water and accumulate various suspended particles, including microplastics.