"A deluge of research has painted a picture of our world being drowned in tiny, inescapable microplastics. Our guilt over plastic particles being found in even the most remote regions on Earth turned into paranoia once scientists started discovering them in our own bodies, too - riddling our blood streams, organs, and even our brains, stoking a rush of scientific inquest."
"One study published in the journal Nature Medicine last February claimed to have documented a rise in micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) in human brain tissues by autopsying preserved cadavers of people who had died between 1997 and 2024. But in November, another group of researchers contested the findings in a letter published in the same journal, criticizing them for "limited contamination controls and lack of validation steps," per The Guardian."
Extensive research reported microplastics across remote environments and within human bodies, including blood, organs, and brains, prompting intense investigation. Later analyses challenged several high-profile tissue studies, pointing to methodological weaknesses such as inadequate contamination controls and missing validation steps. One brain-tissue study claiming a rise in micro- and nanoplastics across decades was specifically disputed for potential false positives arising from brain fat, which contains about sixty percent lipids, and for confounding factors like increasing obesity. Critics warn many high-impact tissue studies may be unreliable. A common measurement technique, Py-GC-MS, involves pyrolyzing samples to vaporize material for chemical analysis, raising concerns about interpretation and contamination.
Read at Futurism
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