Dutch scientists published a paper in the latest issue of the International Journal of the Environment saying that they have found microplastics in human blood for the first time, and that these microplastics may also enter human organs.

Dutch scientists tested blood samples from 22 anonymous healthy volunteers and found microplastics in nearly 80 percent of the samples. Half of the blood samples had traces of PET, a plastic widely used in the manufacture of beverage bottles. More than a third of the samples contained polystyrene, a plastic used to make single-use food containers and many other products. "This is the first time microplastics have really been detected and quantified in human blood," said Dick Vitak, an ecotoxicology expert at the University of Amsterdam who led the study. "It's proof that we have plastic in our bodies, which we shouldn't have in our bodies."

Scientists say microplastic fragments have turned up almost everywhere on Earth. Studies have shown that these microplastics can enter the body through a variety of ways, such as air, water or food, as well as through certain toothpaste, lipstick and tattoo ink, among other things. In theory, plastic particles could be transported through the bloodstream to organs.

(June)

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