https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic
Well we won’t know the true effect of it for years but plastics once inside the body are not clean. So I’m not saying anything definitive except the rather obvious that there is fine reason for concern. Yes, they can be transport mechanisms for the PEPs but also potential mechanical irritants/disruptors of cells.
At the least, it’s a foreign substance that isn’t supposed to be there. At the worst, it can lead to cell death and slowly weaken the immune system over time. There’s also evidence it can affect reproductive organs, some believe it’s not a coincidence men’s testosterone has been steadily decreasing over the last few decades.
Microplastics are largely excreted but Nanoplastics in particular I would argue cannot be considered inert in the fullest sense of the word.
Well... many things we do, eat, and drink are known to kill individual cells. That’s not conclusive proof of significant harm to the body.
I’m all for studying it. But plastics have been integral to our society for at least the past 75 years. I suspect if the problems caused were truly significant, we’d have seen it by now. Instead, we’ve seen life expectancy increasing, partly because of the sanitary benefits of plastic use.
I do strongly suspect that some of these additives, or food additives, or chemicals in our medicines are responsible of the decline in male fertility. RFK, jr is right about that: Our bodies are bombarded with new chemicals from MANY sources, not just plastics.
When I read stories like that first one, I’m reminded of a story I read long ago in a San Diego newspaper. It was a lengthy story a dead whale that was found, washed ashore on a beach. Researchers were astounded to find 500lb of plastic in the whale’s belly. The article went on and on about the harmful effects of that. Then, in the last paragraph, they mentioned: the cause of death was severe wounds from an Orca attack.
Real cause matters.