MIcro/Nanoplastics 50% Higher In Placentas From Premature Births Than In Those From Full-Term Deliveries
A study has found microplastic and nanoplastic pollution to be significantly higher in placentas from premature births than in those from full-term births. The levels were much higher than previously detected in blood, suggesting the tiny plastic particles were accumulating in the placenta. But the higher average levels found in the shorter pregnancies were a “big surprise” for the researchers, as longer terms could be expected to lead to more accumulation.
Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant death worldwide, and the reasons for about two-thirds of all preterm births were unknown, said Dr Enrico Barrozo, of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, US. The established link between air pollution and millions of premature births had spurred the research team to investigate plastic pollution.
The new study only demonstrates an association between microplastics and premature births. Further research is needed in cell cultures and animal models to determine if the link is causal. Microplastics are known to cause inflammation in human cells, and inflammation is one of the factors that prompts the start of labour.
Microplastics, broken down from plastic waste, have polluted the entire planet from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People are already known to consume the tiny particles via food, water and by breathing them in. Microplastics were first detected in placentas in 2020 and have also been found in semen, breast milk, brains, livers and bone marrow, indicating profuse contamination of people’s bodies. The impact on human health is little known, but microplastics have been linked to strokes and heart attacks.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/30/microplastics-placentas-link-premature-births-study
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