DAILY TRIFECTA: If We Are What We Eat...We Are Plastic
The plastic industry has got a lot of balls — literally.
TITLE: After human testicles, microplastics discovered in human penises for first time
https://www.wionews.com/science/after-human-testicles-microplastics-discovered-in-human-penises-for-first-time-733810
EXCERPT: In yet another shocking discovery, scientists have found microplastics in human penises for the first time as concerns over the proliferation of these tiny particles and their potential impact on health mount. The recently published study came nearly a month after researchers at the University of New Mexico found microplastics in human testicles.
In a number of recent studies, it was found that microplastics are detected virtually everywhere, from rain and snow to even human blood and hearts.
The study published in the IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal on Wednesday (Jun 19) said seven different types of microplastics were found in the penile tissue of six men who had undergone surgery treating erectile dysfunction (ED).
“The detection of microplastics in penile tissue raises inquiries on the ramifications of environmental pollutants on sexual health,” the study noted.
Scientists from the University of Miami, the University of Colorado, and the research institution Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Germany found that among the seven different types of microplastics found, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (47.8 per cent) and polypropylene (PP) (34.7 per cent) were the most prevalent.
The analysis of the penile tissue samples collected from six individuals was done using a technique called Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) microspectroscopy, which not only detects the presence of microplastics but also the size and quantity.
Microplastics were found in 80 per cent of the samples, ranging from 20 to 500 micrometres, according to the study.
TITLE: Nanoplastics found throughout the human body – how worried should we be?
https://theconversation.com/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-have-been-found-throughout-the-human-body-how-worried-should-we-be-231974
EXCERPT: Our research suggests that, for some animals at least, nanoplastics are bad news. We injected plastic nanoparticles into chicken embryos. We found that the particles travelled quickly in the blood to all tissues, especially the heart, liver and kidneys. They were also excreted by the embryonic kidneys.
We noticed, too, that plastic nanoparticles tend to stick to a certain type of stem cell in the embryo. These cells are essential for the normal development of the nervous system and other structures. Any damage to stem cells could put the development of the embryo in jeopardy.
We suspect that the chicken embryo stem cells have substances on their surface, called “cell-adhesion molecules”, which stick to the polystyrene nanoparticles that we used. We are following up this finding, because when nanoplastics stick to cells and get inside them, they can cause cell death and even serious birth defects in chickens and mice.
Similar studies cannot, of course, be carried out on people, so it is not yet possible to say what the implications of our animal research are for humans. What we do know is that nanoplastics are found in the blood of human beings, in other bodily fluids and several major organs and key body tissues.
In recent years, microplastics and nanoplastics have been found in the brains, hearts and lungs of humans. They have been discovered in the arteries of people with arterial disease, suggesting they may be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And they have been detected in breast milk, the placenta and, most recently, penises.
Chinese researchers reported earlier this year that they had found microplastics in human and dog testes. More recently, another Chinese team found microplastics in all 40 samples of human semen they tested. This follows an Italian study that found microplastics in six out of ten samples of human semen.
Our fear is that microplastics and nanoplastics might act in a similar way to deadly asbestos fibres. Like asbestos, they are not broken down in the body and can be taken up into cells, killing them and then being released to damage yet more cells.
TITLE: Bottled Water Microplastics Litigation Is Making a Splash
https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/bottled-water-microplastics-litigation-is-making-a-splash
EXCERPT: Following studies in 2018 and 2019 and a fresh February 2024 Consumer Reports study, microplastic litigation should be on every consumer packaged goods manufacturer’s radar. While there is no consensus within the scientific community on harm caused by microplastics, the plaintiffs’ bar has chugged its drink and ran straight to the courthouse.
Plaintiffs across the country, with nearly identical allegations (and for some, the same plaintiff), are not bottling it in anymore. They argue companies that make and sell bottled water have engaged in a host of consumer protection statutory violations by labeling their bottled water as “natural” when the products allegedly contain microplastics. So far this year, we have seen five class actions brought against bottled water manufacturers seeking to certify nationwide and state-specific subclasses.
Without scientific consensus on the impact of microplastics, or guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency or FDA on the presence of microplastics (nor the definition of “natural”), defendants are left to draw analogies to other trending litigation, such as PFAS and glyphosate claims, to challenge these claims. In similar litigation, defendants have found some success in arguing that the [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act] preempts migratory substances like PFAS from disclosure as an ingredient. Likewise, courts have recently found that a “natural” claim could not lead a reasonable customer to believe there are no “accidental or innocuous amounts” of glyphosate in a product. These types of challenges could support dismissal as defendants attempt to put a lid on claims in the bottled-water battle.
SEE ALSO:
Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying Olive Oil In Plastic Bottles
https://www.thedailymeal.com/1592916/why-avoid-olive-oil-in-plastic/
Plastic and non-stick cookware is likely adding thousands of microplastics to the human diet
https://envirotecmagazine.com/2024/06/17/new-study-shows-plastic-and-non-stick-cookware-is-likely-adding-thousands-of-microplastics-into-the-human-diet/
Quantifying microplastics released from microwavable containers
https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/scientists-quantify-microplastics-released-from-microwavable-containers/
Small particles, big problems: A strategy for addressing microplastics science gaps | U.S. Geological Survey
https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/small-particles-big-problems-a-strategy-addressing-microplastics-science-gaps
Man, I'm glad scientists are finally looking SERIOUSLY into this problem. I've bought bottled water from big companies like Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead (because they have a lot to lose if they blow it even once*) that get their water from natural areas which are truly away from manufacturing and agricultural (insecticides in the ground) areas. I've always known about microplastics because I could sense them while drinking from a water bottle while high on LSD several decades ago, and later, from reading the few articles that started trickling out when scientists finally got busy on this problem.
I've bought bottled water all my kids' lives. They're now 30 and 25 and healthy. I knew that it was a compromise. But the PFAS, actual rocket fuel, lead, chloramine (which kills fish in an aquarium unless you add a neutralizer to it, and doesn't boil off like chlorine), and all the other horrible things in city water were so frightening that I opted for the [number 1 in triangle symbol] Polyethylene terephthalate bottles.
What a lot of liberals and progressives who have hassled me about this forget is that our government is criminal on the highest level, on a HITLER level (just ask the 5 million dead Vietnamese and the 3 million dead Iraqis), and why in God's name would I trust THAT government to concoct something as PERSONAL as water and PUT IT INTO MY CHILDREN'S BODIES? Instead I trusted capitalism, which I understand and which ALWAYS acts in its own interest. The big companies selling bottled water sell an insanely expensive product to bourgeois people like me, and they damage land and natural aquifers to do it, but at least I'm not drinking the government's toxic brew.
Do you remember how small the sip of water Obama took on stage to prove the safeness of Flint's water after a few improvements had been made? I do. https://www.quora.com/What-made-you-instantly-lose-respect-for-one-of-your-countrys-leaders-whom-you-greatly-revered/answer/Jeff-Syrop
* Many years ago, the stock of Jack-In-The-Box almost tanked after 5 people nearly died from burgers from 1 store in Oregon, whereas if Joe's Burgers in your town gets people sick, it can just change its name and keep selling burgers.