Experts evaluate data on the impact of microplastics on health

Microplastics can cause oxidative stress, damage cells and provoke chronic inflammation, which in the future can lead to serious diseases, including cancer. This was stated by an ecologist and biologist, a member of the environmental council under the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Golubitchenko.

According to him, particles of microplastic size from 2.5 to 10 microns can penetrate into the blood, lymph and, under certain conditions, into the cells of the body. They can persist for a long time inside the body, accumulate in the lymph nodes and small vessels, disrupt the work of cells and tissues and provoke inflammatory processes. “And chronic inflammation sooner or later ends with a serious disease, including oncology,” explains Golubitchenko.

The expert noted that microplastics are widespread in the environment and are constantly circulating in food chains. It is formed when plastic parts wear, and one of the places of its active accumulation are the sea coasts, where plastic is destroyed by waves and stones.

So if you eat fish, for example, you get a certain amount of microplastics, somewhere more, somewhere less, but always anyway. The same applies to many types of livestock products that are grown on farms. There is a huge number of different plastic mechanisms, including drinking waters, feeders and other things there. And already in the enclosures and stalls, plastic fences and many plastic parts are used, and microplastics are also formed there, says Golubitchenko.

RBC asked experts to comment on the publication of The Washington Post. In the material called “Scientists did not know exactly how microplastics harm the body – until today”, the publication cites the results of a study by Columbia University scientists, according to which when water comes into contact with microparticles of plastic, reactive oxygen species are formed that can damage biological molecules, including DNA, proteins and lipids.

According to the researchers, this process can cause oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, potentially associated with cardiovascular and cancer, as well as neurological disorders. Active oxygen species were found in contact with water particles of different types of plastic, as well as in blood serum and cell cultures.

Scientists note that small particles of plastic have a large surface area and therefore interact more actively with water. The study describes a possible mechanism for the harmful effects of microplastics, but does not prove that it directly causes these diseases.

Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a leading researcher at the Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Nechaev called the WP article “a classic example of alarmism.” At the same time, the chemist has no complaints about the quality of experiments and the results obtained: the study shows that non-polar microplastics in water contribute to the formation of reactive oxygen species that can oxidize certain biological compounds. However, in his opinion, these data are not enough to draw conclusions about the harm to health.

“To make strong statements requires strong arguments. For example, it should be shown that it somehow harmed some living organism. But this was not done, Nechaev said. As a counterargument, he cited plants that secrete protective waxes on the surface of the leaves, which he compared with inert polymers resembling polyethylene. "I don't recall there being reports of harm to human health from wet cacti," the chemist added.

Head of the Department of Physical Geography and Ecology of Tver State University Olga Sursimova in an interview with RBC noted that free radical oxidation in the body is usually suppressed by the antioxidant system. If it does not cope, pathological processes can occur that can lead to serious diseases. “But the process of partial dissolution of microparticles and the subsequent interaction of radicals with biomolecules is not fast,” says Sursimov.

According to her, the research methods described in the article are convincing and valid. At the same time, she clarified that the effect of microplastics is not limited to only reactive oxygen species: water can partially dissolve particles, resulting in the formation of chemically active ions. They interact with biopolymers and destroy them.

One of the main tasks of further research, according to her, is to determine the relatively safe concentration of microplastics, at which the antioxidant system of the body can neutralize free radical oxidation.