What is the evidence that Microplastics are harmful?
You can’t do a double-blind randomized control trial.
And we have barely learned to measure these nanoplastics.
But there are starting to be strong correlations between the plastic occurrence and terrible diseases. Recent data on atherosclerosis + infarcts is horrible.
Recent data on testes production of sperm cells also looks very damning.
In summary, there are a few unexplained things in medicine that might very well be caused by plastics. Eg. More colon cancer in young people in the west. Eg. Declining sperm quality in the last 30 years in the west. Yes, it could be foods, but it doesn’t explain the whole picture. Plastics could be it.
My guess is that a LOT of nasty studies will come out in the next years.
I switched to glass and metal for all my food and water, for as much as I can control it.
You could on animals.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9885170/
> Endocrine toxicity induced by MPs is an emerging issue, despite the subject being rarely documented, there is growing evidence for ingested MPs bioaccumulation in mammalian tissues and organs with deleterious outcomes including endocrine abnormalities, reproductive toxicity, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and defective immunological responses in rodents, rats and mice.
And:
> However, there are still no conclusive research reports that have determined the direct consequences of MPs and NPs on the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal gland.
However, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” These microplastics are definitely on the more suspicious side, just like tobacco use was.
Unfortunately we do not live in that universe.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-safety-cou...
Sometimes I read accounts on industrial revolution England and think “how the heck people survive THAT.” Several decades from now there will be people who think of us the same way haha.
The extent to which microplastics cause harm or toxicity is unclear, although recent studies associated MNP presence in carotid atheromas with increased inflammation and risk of future adverse cardiovascular events2,3. In controlled exposure studies, MNPs clearly enhance or drive toxic outcomes4–6. The mantra of the field of toxicology – “dose makes the poison” (Paracelsus) – renders such discoveries as easily anticipated; what is not clearly understood is the internal dose in humans.
An association means little considering Microplastics are more commonly found in garbage ultraprocessed food.
And the second part of your quote is saying we can make anything toxic in a controlled exposure if we dose it high enough
There are situations where overthinking it is bad. Yes, obviously, microplastics in your brain are bad for you. Common sense. Any delay because "the science isn't there yet" does more harm than good.