[OANNES Foro] Plastic nanoparticles can move through the food chain, penetrate the blood?brain barrier and damage the neural tissue of humans

[Mario Cabrejos]

Who cares about the world's oceans? Too few, and almost no-one in health.
This indifference is shocking and dangerous.
Richard Horton
October 06, 2018
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32461-9
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32461-
9/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email

Geir Wing Gabrielsen leads ecotoxicology research at the Norwegian Polar
Institute in Tromsø, in the northernmost part of the country. His main
concern is the pollution of one of the world's most important and neglected
environments-our oceans. His specific focus is plastic. In 2016, the world
produced 325 million tonnes of plastic, a figure that is growing by 4%
annually. 40% of the plastic we make is used just once. By 2050, the
expected production of plastic will have reached 1124 million tonnes. 8-10
million tonnes enter the oceans annually-by 2050, the total mass of ocean
plastic will exceed that of fish. In 1976, on average, each person used 2
kg of plastic annually. By 2017, that figure had risen to 43 kg. Every
minute, human beings use 2 million plastic bags and 1 million plastic
bottles. Only 14% of these plastics are recycled effectively. The main
categories of plastic pollutants are polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl
chloride, polystyrene, and polyurethane. A vast gap exists between the
plastics produced and those recovered. The main effort to reduce
environmental plastic contamination is landfill. Yet a third of all
plastics still remain in the environment-most plastics are non-
biodegradable-with the oceans being their principal dustbin. You might
think that ocean plastic pollution is a small problem. When you look at the
seas, their shores and beaches, little plastic is evident-a few discarded
plastic bottles and containers, at most. But of the total quantifiable
marine plastic pollution, only 1% is floating on the sea surface and 5% is
washed up on beaches. The remaining 94% sits on the sea floor. The effects
on life are devastating. Sea birds die with their intestines full and
obstructed with plastic detritus. Marine and terrestrial mammals, fish, and
marine invertebrates are all fatally affected. Gabrielsen's research shows
that 93% of northern fulmars (a sea bird found in the Arctic) have an
average of 32 pieces of plastic in their stomachs. A particular concern are
micro (<5 mm) and nano (<1 μm) plastics. In 1983, 29% of fulmars had
microplastics in their stomachs. By 2013, that figure had risen to 88%.
Plastic is a cruel pollutant. It plays tricks on its victims. Plastics can
become coated with an attractively nutritious biofilm of marine microbes,
tempting ingestion. Microplastics produce dimethyl sulfide, an odorant (or
scent) that encourages consumption. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and
deadly. All very well, but what has this to do with human health? A signal
of possibility-and urgency-was published last year in Scientific Reports.
Karin Mattsson and colleagues found that plastic (polystyrene)
nanoparticles reduced the survival of zooplankton and penetrated the blood-
brain barrier of the fish that consume them. These fish exhibited severe
behavioural disturbances. The conclusion is menacing. Plastic nanoparticles
can move through the food chain and enter and damage the neural tissue of
consumers. As Mattsson et al conclude, “our results may have implications
for human wellbeing”.



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