Microplastics in the environment could be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease and heart problems, including stroke.
Although we can’t be sure of the damage that microplastics and nanoplastics are doing to our health, new research fears they could be linked to a wide range of chronic problems.
Scientists at the University of Health Sciences in Turkey have studied 130 previously published papers that had looked at the effects of microplastics, and concluded they pose “a significant threat”. We inhale them and they enter our bloodstream where they can affect our mitochondria, the ‘power plants’ in our cells that create the energy needed to drive cellular function across all biological processes.
Microplastics are generated from waste products that use plastics, such as polysterene from packaging and even road construction.
Because it’s an invisible threat, microplastic pollution is a subject that isn’t cause for concern among people or their governments, says Dal Yontem, one of the researchers.
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