A new study into the effects of microplastics on humans and other mammals has shown significant behavioral changes as a result of the number of microplastics found in the water and food supply.
The study was published in late August in the peer-reviewed publication International Journal of Molecular Science and conducted by Professor Jaime Ross from the University of Rhode Island.
The researchers looked at the behavioral and inflammatory effects of plastic pollution and where it is found in the body, and discovered that microplastics pollute the body to the same degree as the natural environment. This had an especially bad impact on elderly people.
“Current research suggests that these microplastics are transported throughout the environment and can accumulate in human tissues; however, research on the health effects of microplastics, especially in mammals, is still very limited,” said Ross, an assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences at the Ryan Institute for Neuroscience and the College of Pharmacy. “This has led our group to explore the biological and cognitive consequences of exposure to microplastics.”
Researchers exposed mice of various ages to microplastics over a period of three weeks via their food supply. They then observed behavioral changes in the mice as well as changes in the liver and brain. The researchers described the response as being akin to the symptoms of dementia in humans.
Dangers of plastic consumption
Microplastics crossing into the brain can have serious impacts by causing a decrease in key acidic proteins in the brain which are connected with various neurodegenerative diseases, including mouse Alzheimers and depression.
Professor Ross intends to take the research further in future work. “We want to understand how plastics may change the ability of the brain to maintain its homeostasis or how exposure may lead to neurological disorders and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
