Microplastics Cause Damage To Human Cells, Study Shows (theguardian.com) 39
Microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory at the levels known to be eaten by people via their food, a study has found. From a report: The harm included cell death and allergic reactions and the research is the first to show this happens at levels relevant to human exposure. However, the health impact to the human body is uncertain because it is not known how long microplastics remain in the body before being excreted. Microplastics pollution has contaminated the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in. The research analysed 17 previous studies which looked at the toxicological impacts of microplastics on human cell lines. The scientists compared the level of microplastics at which damage was caused to the cells with the levels consumed by people through contaminated drinking water, seafood and table salt. They found specific types of harm -- cell death, allergic response, and damage to cell walls -- were caused by the levels of microplastics that people ingest.
Re: The Internet no longer exists. (Score:1)
Shut the fuck up and get off the internet already ya old cuck
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Water Bottles (Score:2)
Not. All of the not. (Score:1)
Also, if this *cough* "study" *cough* had ANY MERIT WHATSOEVER - everyone would be dead by now.
Like, back in the 1950s. [wikipedia.org]
Re:Not. All of the not. (Score:5, Interesting)
Wow, you must be a super-genius if you can debunk a scientific study so handily without even reading it!
Are you aware that the human body is capable of replacing dead cells? So, even if microplastics do cause cell death, we could all survive for quite a long time since our bodies can just heal up as they go. I am sure you thought of that before you debunked this study.
Oh, and from the abstract of the study: "Irregular shape was found to be the only MP characteristic predicting cell death, along with the duration of exposure and MP concentration (g/mL)."
So, not ALL microplastics cause cell death, only the irregularly-shaped ones, and only after a specific exposure time and concentration level. Meaning, the effects could be quite minor in the human body even if they happen.
But you read that before dismissing the study as meritless....right?
It's called common sense. You should try it out... (Score:2)
... some day.
That way you too can be a supergenius.
As I've debunked the UNDERLYING THEORY behind that and any other "microplastics in digestion" study - two years ago. [slashdot.org]
Underlying premises are faulty. Ergo, the study is faulty by default.
And again, if the study had ANY MERIT WHATSOEVER - we'd all be dead long ago.
All that polyester in the '70s would have been the end of not only the humanity but of the entire biosphere.
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As I was saying before someone not equipped with standardized 60 ml of common sense tried to downmod the reality...
Also, if this *cough* "study" *cough* had ANY MERIT WHATSOEVER - everyone would be dead by now.
Like, back in the 1950s. [wikipedia.org]
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How contaminated is the water in the ubiquitous16oz plastic water bottles?
Actually, bottled water is VERY contaminated with microplastics, compared to tap water. One 2019 study listed on CNN shows people that drink only bottled water will ingest 15-20 times the amount of microplastics compared to only tap water. CNN 2019 bottled vs tap [cnn.com]
Another 2019 study shows that we ingest - eat and breathe - about 5 milligrams of microplastic EACH WEEK! That's about the weight of a credit card a week. CNN 2019 microplastic ingestion [cnn.com]
Scientists have since seen microplastics everywhere they ha
Cowards (Score:2, Offtopic)
One mans "cell damage" is another mans accelerated mutation of the human species...
Transhumanism, embrace itt.
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I told you that my Morgellons disease [nih.gov] wasn't all in my head!
It's also in my butt. "
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I think we have reached the stage where we are pretty much fucked as a species, so some people are trying to embrace it.
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It's not transhumanism unless I can be genetically modified to look like a dinosaur, including a tail.
Deal with it.
Hmm ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Stories like this make me think of the book Mutant 59: The Plastic-Eaters [amazon.com] from 1973 where a bacteria is developed to consume plastic from disposable bottles, etc... and it mutates to be able to consume any plastic, including electrical insulation, and escapes into the wild. Bad things then ensue...
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Re:Hmm ... (Score:5, Informative)
You mean like Ideonella Sakaiensis [wikipedia.org]? The actual real-world bacteria that eats plastic?
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But yes, like that. But good at it.
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Some car manufacturers started using non-plastic insulation for wiring, and found that certain rodents like to eat it. There was a lawsuit a while back.
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Mercedes used bio-based insulation in the 80s and it degraded without any rodents chewing on it, causing a lot of short-outs where wires had to flex (like going to doors, where the seat controls and window motors were located. ironically, the seat switches were in the center console.)
Re: plastic eating critters (Score:4, Interesting)
It could happen. Some bacteria can already digest plastic, but they are slow. If some snazzy mutation speeds up the process, we are SOL.
Dead trees used to pile up in forests many millions of years ago, creating many of our coal deposits. But then a wood-eating bacteria teamed forces with termites, which greatly increased the effective wood munch rate.
Termites can't digest wood on their own, but provide the teeth to make it into chunks small enough for gut bacteria to work on it. In exchange, the bacteria shares calories with the termite.
constant irritation can lead to cancer ? (Score:2)
One of the reasons asbestos causes cancer is because it sits in your lungs irritating and damaging the lining continuously leading to excessive reproduction of cells. excessive reproduction increases the odds of cancer (any oncologists out there to keep me honest?)
you have to wonder if plastics will get lodged in your GI tract, just like asbestos gets lodged in your lungs, start irritating your lining and lead to increased levels of cancer.
now that our brave new world of plastic contamination is in full swi
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Re:constant irritation can lead to cancer ? (Score:4, Informative)
you have to wonder if plastics will get lodged in your GI tract, just like asbestos gets lodged in your lungs, start irritating your lining and lead to increased levels of cancer.
Not you don't.
That is neither how asbestos toxicity functions [wikipedia.org] nor how "microplastics" interact with human body (i.e. they don't - you just shit them out).
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"There is experimental evidence that very slim fibers (60 nm, 0.06 m in breadth) tangle destructively with chromosomes (being of comparable size)."
That's honestly pretty horrific to think about. I never realized they were that small.
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So is fire, and it(fire) kills a hell of a lot more people. That's why it is still used.
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Table salt? (Score:4, Informative)
FIY, not all table salt comes from oceans. There's a lot of it that comes from mines, such as the Sifto brand in Canada.
So IOW (Score:2)
Forget the expensive salt, Fleur de Sel from the Camargue or anywhere really, those are full of it. Use the stuff that has been in the mountains for millions of years.
about all that microplastic... (Score:2)
Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals [nih.gov]
Probably has nothing to do with the declining birthrates and all of the gender dysphoria.
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The ocean clean up and Team Seas!! (Score:2)
I guess here is a good place to plug the ocean clean up which appears to be doing phenomenal at finding a solution and team seas which is trying to find raise funds for a clean up.
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