Should you worry about microplastics? | Mint<img src='https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035286&cv=4.4.0&cj=1'>SubscribeSign inView Market DashboardHomeLatest NewsMarketsMarket NewsMark to MarketCommoditiesLive BlogsCryptocurrencyIPOStock MarketsMarket DataStock PagesIndex pagesBullionGold SilverFuelPetrolDieselNewsIndiaWorldWSJEconomistUS NewsTrendsPremium e-paperGlobal Partners WSJEconomistBarron'sMint SpecialsMint ExplainersMark to MarketLong StoryMint PrimerSnapviewSectionsCompaniesTechnologyMarketsMoneyMutual FundsInsuranceAutoIndustryPersonal FinanceCompaniesStart-upsCompany ResultsPeopleMoneyPersonal FinanceInsurance Ask Mint MoneyMutual FundsMyMintIPL Schedule 2025Personal LoanTechnologyGadgetsTech ReviewsApp News5G TechFoldable SmartphonesMint HindiMoreElection 2025OpinionAuto NewsSportsOrange Cap in IPLPurple Cap in IPLCricket NewsIPL 2025EducationTools IFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorMint LoungeMintGenie Multi-MediaVideosWebStories Photo GalleryPodcastsExplore MintAbout usPrint subscriptionMint AuthorsSubscriber terms of usePrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimerMint codeCookie PolicyCode of ethicsSitemapContact UsHindustan TimesLive HindustanHealthshotsCredit CardSunita Williams News LIVEUS Fed Meeting LIVE Hello UserSign inSign OutMy AccountSubscribeMy WatchlistNewslettersNotificationsMy ReadsFor YouView Less -View More +Data InsightsMarket DashboardBullionGoldSilverFuelPetrolDieselCommoditiesGoldGoldMAluminumMenthaoilSilverSilverMICGoldPetalNatural GasCopperZincSilverMCrudeOilGoldGinueaLeadCryptoCurrenciesView Less -View More +Top SectionsToday's NewsIndia NewsWorld NewsUS News TodayBudget 2025EconomyMoney NewsPersonal FinanceQ&AOpinionCompany Business NewsIPO NewsStart-upsCompany ResultsTop Company LeaderStock Market NewsStock MarketsCommodity NewsMark To MarketIPO NewsLive Blogpersonal loanpersonal loan emi calculatorPersonal Loan Interest RatePersonal Loan EligibilityBusiness LoanInstant LoanElection Results 2025Assembly Elections 2025Indian Industry AnalysisBanking NewsInfotech NewsInfrastructureAgricultureManufacturingEnergy NewsRetail NewsAuto NewsSports NewsOpinionViewsColumnsTechnology NewsGadgetsTech ReviewsApp NewsPolitics NewsLoungeBusiness of LifeSports NewsIPL 2025 IPL 2025 Points Table IPL 2025 Orange CapIPL 2025 Purple CapIPL Match Today | IPL 2025 ScheduleEducation News TodayView Less -View More +Premium Offeringse-paperWSJEconomistBarron'sMyMintMint PremiumView Less -View More +Tools and CalculatorsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorEMI CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorView Less -View More +MultiMedia CollectionsVideosWebStoriesPhoto GalleryPodcastsView Less -View More +More From MintMint GenieMint LoungeMint HindiView Less -Explore MintAbout UsPrint SubscriptionMint AuthorsTerms of UseDisclaimerMint CodeCode of ethicsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicySubscriber - Terms of UseSITEMAPContact UsMint AppsView Less -View More +Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All Rights Reserved.Should you worry about microplastics?Little is known about the effects on humans–but limiting exposure to them seems prudentThe EconomistPublished20 Mar 2025, 05:03 PM ISTSome studies in the lab have found that microplastics can cause damage to cells, tissues and DNA and promote the growth of cancers. (Image: Pixabay)Ever since Austrian scientists first began looking for them in people in 2018, microplastics have turned up in the blood, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart and even the brain. They have also been detected in the placenta and breast milk.It is no mystery how these tiny particles, which can range from 5mm across to less than 2 microns (µm), get into human bodies. They are ubiquitous in the air, food and water. They accumulate from degrading plastic waste and the wear and tear of everyday products such as car tyres, paints and synthetic fabrics.Whether they are harmful is still unclear. These “forever particles” could have a role in various health problems, from infertility to heart attacks and cancer. They may cause physical damage by blocking ducts or scratching tissues. Or they may cause chemical damage to cells. They could also act as microscopic Trojan horses for various heavy metals, allergens and bacteria that cling to them.In a study published in 2024 in the New England Journal of Medicine scientists examined the plaque scraped from the arteries of 257 patients who had a procedure to remove it (to reduce blockages). Microplastics turned up in more than half of cases. In the next three years, those patients were four times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or to die from any cause, than the patients without detectable microplastics in the plaque. It is unclear, however, whether the particles were to blame. Their presence in arteries could have been a byproduct of the biological changes that cause these health problems.Some studies in the lab have found that microplastics can cause damage to cells, tissues and DNA and promote the growth of cancers. But a problem with lab-based experiments is that the particles used in them do not reflect those that people actually ingest or inhale. More than a dozen types of plastics have been found in human tissues, in all shapes and sizes, from jagged-edged specks to fibre strings. Of most concern are nanoplastics (those smaller than 1µm). These are small enough to pass into the bloodstream through the linings of the gut and the lungs. Particles bigger than 10µm are unlikely to enter human cells. When inhaled, they are typically expelled by the body’s “mucous escalator” that brings them up from the lungs to be swallowed and excreted.By contrast, early laboratory experiments used sterile spherical beads of just one type of plastic, polystyrene, which were bigger than the nano-size range. Shape matters, too. In better studied nanomaterials, the more jagged shapes are the most harmful. Scientists are now developing more relevant microplastics cocktails for experiments by breaking down items like water bottles in ways that simulate natural wear and tear.Microplastics are impossible to avoid. In 2019 a team from King’s College London found that daily deposits from the air in central London reached 1,000 microplastics per square metre. And that was only particles bigger than 20µm.Reducing exposure to microplastics is feasible, by avoiding food and drinks packaged in plastics, using less synthetic fabric and cleaning up household dust. Heating plastic containers leaches lots of microplastics, so avoiding microwaved ready-meals and plastic kettles should help too. A European research consortium of more than 70 organisations is trying to untangle the specific harms from microplastics to human health and what sort of regulation may be warranted to prevent them. For now, there are more questions than answers.© 2025, The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.comCatch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.Business NewsScienceHealthShould you worry about microplastics?MoreLessFirst Published:20 Mar 2025, 05:03 PM ISTGet Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!Enter Mobile NumberEmployment TypeSalariedSelf-Employed BusinessApply NowMost Active StocksMarket SnapshotTop GainersTop Losers52 Week HighTrending In Market US Fed Meeting LIVEGold Price TodayMCX GoldSuzlon share priceGensol share priceSpiceJet share price Recommended For YouMore RecommendationsGold Prices24K22KFuel PricePetrolDieselPopular in ScienceStory Url has been added to your clipboardDownload AppDownload the Mint app and read premium storiesTrending StoriesKohat Enclave murder Punjab farmers protest Bihar Badar Khan Suri Chahal-Dhanashree Divorce News Muskan Rastogi Mark Carney Suzlon Share Price IPL 2025 Orange Cap in IPL 2025 Purple Cap in IPL 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Wickets Livemint Hindi Bank Holidays in Gujarat Bank Holidays in Delhi Bank Holidays in September Income Tax Calculator 2025 Bank Holidays in Jammu And Kashmir Instant Personal Loan Check Credit Score Online Business Loan Personal Loan Interest Rate Personal Loan Eligibility Personal Loan EMI Calculator Gold Rate in Delhi Gold Rate in Bangalore Gold Rate in Chennai Gold Rate in Hyderabad Gold Rate in Mumbai Business Radio - FAB Play Assembly Election Results Credit Card Personal Loan Online Gold Rate India Bank Holidays India Popular StocksJSW INFRASTRUCTURE share priceR R KABEL share priceCONCORD BIOTECH share priceIDBI Bank share priceYes Bank share priceAdani Power share priceHUL share priceIndian Oil share priceVedanta share priceJio Financial Services share pricePaytm share pricePunjab National Bank share priceCanara Bank share priceAdani Green Energy share priceIndian Railway Finance Corporation share priceSuzlon Energy share priceIREDA share priceVodafone Idea share priceOrient Technologies share pricePremier Energies share priceBajaj Housing Finance Share PriceGaruda Construction And Engineer share priceHyundai Motor India share priceNifty 50 companiesADANI ENTERPRISES share priceADANI PORTS share priceAPOLLO HOSPITALS share priceASIAN PAINTS share priceAXIS BANK share priceBAJAJ AUTO share priceBAJAJ FINANCE share priceBAJAJ FINSERVE share priceBPCL share priceBHARTI AIRTEL share priceBRITANNIA share priceCIPLA share priceCOAL INDIA share priceDIVIS LABORATORIES share priceDR REDDYS LABORATORIES share priceEICHER MOTORS share priceGRASIM INDUSTRIES share priceHCL TECHNOLOGIES share priceHDFC BANK share priceHDFC LIFE share priceHERO MOTOCORP share priceHINDALCO INDUSTRIES share priceHINDUSTAN UNILEVER share priceICICI BANK share priceITC share priceINDUSIND BANK share priceINFOSYS share priceJSW STEEL share priceKOTAK BANK share priceLARSEN & TOURBO share priceMAHINDRA & MAHINDRA share priceMARUTI SUZUKI share priceNTPC share priceNESTLE INDIA share priceONGC share pricePOWER GRID share priceRELIANCE INDUSTRIES share priceSBI LIFE share priceSBI share priceSUN PHARMA share priceTCS share priceTATA MOTORS share priceTATA STEEL share priceTATA CONSUMER share priceTECH MAHINDRA share priceTITAN share priceUPL share priceULTRATECH CEMENT share priceWIPRO share priceLatest StoriesSectionPremiumOpinionNewsMarketPoliticsCompaniesMoneySportsMutual FundIndustryTechnologyToolsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorData PagesMarket DashboardIndicesTop GainerMutual FundsGold PriceSilver PriceFuel PriceAbout UsMint AuthorsContact usTerms of UseCode of EthicsPrivacy PolicyRSSCopyright © 2025 HT Digital Streams Limited. 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