Paula Sobral in an interview with Público: “ One more contribution” to the study of the impacts of plastics on human health

Following the publication of a new study on the presence of micro and nano plastics in the human brain, MARE specialist and researcher Paula Sobral spoke to Público newspaper about this strange phenomenon.

Recent studies indicate that the accumulation of micro and nano plastics in the human brain may be higher than in the kidneys and liver, as revealed in an article recently published in the journal Nature Medicine. The team of researchers, who analyzed kidney and prefrontal cortex tissues obtained during autopsies, observed a new trend: the concentrations of plastic particles in the 2024 samples were higher than in the 2016 samples.

MARE researcher Paula Sobral, a specialist in microplastics who was not involved in the study, considers this study “another important contribution” to understanding the relationship between plastics and human health. For the specialist, the article is a major step forward, as it improves analytical techniques for detecting and quantifying the presence of plastics in organs. “The Nature Medicine study presents a reasonable sample and a combination of different analytical techniques, which is always welcome, since the scientific community faces technical difficulties when it comes to quantifying nano and microplastics,” says the researcher.

The study stands out for using an innovative approach. First, the tissue samples were chemically treated (dissolved in potassium hydroxide, resulting in a paste which was then centrifuged to isolate the solid particles). Then, techniques such as pyrolysis gas chromatography (Py-GC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyze the distribution of plastics in the liver, kidneys and frontal cortex of human cadavers in two different periods: 2016 and 2024. In total, 52 brain samples were analyzed - 28 from 2016 and 24 from 2024 - 12 of which were from individuals diagnosed with dementia.

The analysis showed that all the samples had micro and nano plastics, but those from 2024 showed higher concentrations in the frontal cortex compared to those from 2016. The kidney and liver tissues collected in 2024 had similar levels to the 2016 samples.

Subsequently, the samples were further compared to older data from 1997 to 2013. The conclusion was clear: the concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics were always higher in the more recent samples, suggesting that growing plastic pollution may be related to the increased bioaccumulation of these particles in human organs.

To read the Público article click HERE