Are Microplastics Causing Upticks in Dementia? | Hacker News Reader

Are Microplastics Causing Upticks in Dementia?

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32 pointsthecoser4220 comments

It was easy to take lead out of gas compared to this.

The low hanging fruit is to get them out of products where there's no really good reason for them to be there in the first place, especially if those products are used on the body or ingested.

I'm thinking of toothpaste, face wash, shampoo, etc.

I'm getting worried about the retainer I wear at night to prevent teeth clenching related problems. It's old and starting to decay.. time for a new one but what's worse? grinding my teeth at night or slowly degrading this plastic retainer and ingesting the wee bits?

Depends if your partner strangles you or not.

(this is why I gave up mechanical keyboards)

You're worried about the microplastics seeping from your mechanical keyboard?

I’ve been thinking about this, too. I have a few caps due to me grinding my teeth for so many years, so for me, the choice is between plastic from a retainer and little bits of whatever the caps are made of.

Older composite tooth fillings and sealants etc do contain BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor that you probably don't want to be grinding down. Recent filling materials have moved to BPA-free alternatives, though. If your caps (crowns?) are made of composite resin, then I'd be concerned if you're grinding them. Many crowns are made of porcelain now days, though.

If it's decaying, then presumably you're clenching your teeth and damaging it over time. So the retainer is working and protecting you from the certain (as opposed to hypothetical/not-yet-proven) harm of tooth degradation.

I’d bet you swallow more from your toothpaste, face wash, or other microplastic sources.

Those "wee bits" will still be relatively big and you're probably pooping most of them out again. Assuming the plastic itself is fairly benign and non-toxic I wouldn't be overly concerned about swallowing a little bit of it.

I'd be more worried about all the tiny micro-plastic fibres you're breathing in every day that are going in your lungs, blood, and other organs.

get one made out of rubber

There are other upticks in conditions which are potentially caused by microplastics that are a little more politically controversial to have discussions about.

The fact you don't actually say what you're thinking of implies it's not a strong or defensible position.

Autism is what you're getting at?

Truth be told I don't even know where to begin having a conversation about this. There's so much conflicting information and so many knee-jerk reactions (see other comments).

Transgenders

Emerging scientific research is uncovering indications of microplastics penetrating deep into our physiological systems

Do microplastics accumulate in blood, and does donating blood reduce this amount?

I don't like where this line of questioning is going, but yes they've been found in human blood.

Can’t speak for the grandparent poster, but I’ve heard/read enough casual claims of “donating plasma reduces microplastic load in the blood” that it’s been somewhere in the far back of my mind to research further. I already donate blood regularly and would immediately hop on the plasma train if these sorts of claims panned out.

Particularly since I have extended family members who have seen great results from a round of apheresis treatment to reduce their LDL. And apparently some long covid sufferers have also found relief from this type of “blood cleansing” treatment.

Finally, a real medical use for bloodletting!

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