Vienna. It has long been feared that the plastic problem not only has negative effects on the environment and wildlife, but also on us humans. Now it's official: A study conducted by the Federal Environment Agency in Austria and the Medical University in Vienna has discovered microplastics in humans.
The study participants came from Austria, Italy, Russia, Poland, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain. The study participants had to record in a food diary which foods they had eaten. All reported eating foods packaged in plastic and drinking from plastic bottles in the week before the test. In addition, most of the participants had eaten fish or seafood.
After one week, they gave a stool sample. The result: In each sample Microplastics found. There were about 20 microplastics with a size of less than five centimeters per 10 grams of stool.
Nine different types of plastic were found in the stool. Polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were discovered most frequently.
The exact cause of the microplastic in the intestines of the participants is still unknown. In order to be able to make such statements, a larger study with a higher number of participants is required. It is also still unclear what the microplastic in the human intestine actually means for our health.
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