Latest news with #Campen
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists sound alarm after making disturbing discovery while studying human brains: 'This stuff is increasing in our world exponentially'
Plastic pollution isn't just an ocean issue anymore — it is a lot closer to home than you might think. A recent study revealed that the average human brain may contain the equivalent of a whopping five plastic bottle caps' worth of microplastics. The New York Times took a deeper dive into the topic on the heels of that study making the rounds in February, showing that scientists are only beginning to scratch the surface of what this could mean for our health. In a groundbreaking study led by researchers at the University of New Mexico, scientists found that brain samples from 2024 contained nearly 50% more microplastics than those from just eight years ago. The average brain held roughly seven grams of plastic — the same as a disposable spoon. More concerning still, the researchers observed higher levels of microplastics in the brains of people with dementia, though as the Times noted, the scientists at the lab "noted that might be because those brains have a more porous blood-brain barrier and are less able to clear toxins." Similar plastic particles have already been found in the human placenta, bloodstream, and even a baby's first stool. As plastic accumulation balloons in the environment, it mirrors this growth in our bodies. "This stuff is increasing in our world exponentially," toxicologist Dr. Matthew Campen told The New York Times. Once they enter the human body, some microplastic particles are so small they can pass through critical barriers and lodge in organs like the brain. While scientists haven't yet nailed down how much plastic is too much, early research findings suggest nothing short of dangerous. Cue the groans of hopelessness. "I don't think I've talked to a single person who's said: 'Fantastic! Love to know that there's all that plastic in my brain,'" Dr. Campen told the Times. Current research shows links between microplastics and serious health issues, including cognitive decline, reproductive concerns, immune system disruption, memory loss, hormonal disruptions, and even developmental problems in children. And because most of this plastic waste is decades old, it's not just a problem of the future — it's already here. Additionally, since microplastics also seep into the soil, water, and pollute the ecosystems, they pose a threat not only to people, but also to the wildlife and food systems we rely on. In short, this isn't simply a medical concern — it is a public health and environmental challenge with severe global implications. Do you think we use too much plastic in America? Definitely Only some people Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The Times' deep dive, which has many more fascinating details, noted that Dr. Campden's team is continuing its research and "now studying tissue from cross-sections of a single brain to find out whether certain regions have higher microplastics concentrations and whether that could be linked to issues like Parkinson's or memory loss." While researchers continue to investigate the health impacts of microplastics, efforts are already underway to tackle the problem from multiple fronts. Countries like France, England, and India have introduced bans on common single-use plastics, while cities including Los Angeles and New York are restricting items like Styrofoam and plastic produce bags. From the scientific viewpoint, researchers are developing new materials that break down more easily and are even testing innovative ways to filter microplastics from water. On the individual level, practicing habits like swapping out single-use plastics for reusable alternatives, avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, and using microfiber-catching laundry bags can all go a long way. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Observer
08-04-2025
- Health
- Observer
What are microplastics doing to our bodies?
In a basement laboratory at the University of New Mexico, Marcus Garcia rummaged through a bin full of plastic waste. He picked past bottles, chunks of fishing net, a toothbrush, a cup with a Pokémon character, and a G.I. Joe. 'Yes!' he exclaimed, holding up a discarded pipette tip. 'Found it.' Garcia, a postdoctoral fellow in pharmaceutical sciences, discovered the pipette tip last summer with colleagues on a remote Hawaii beach. It was miraculously intact, though it had most likely been degraded for years by the sun, ozone, and the ocean. How poignant, he thought. It was an object he and thousands of other scientists used every day. And there it was, washed up on a beach along with hundreds of pounds of other plastic waste they were now cleaning up and collecting for research. Garcia is part of a leading lab, run by toxicologist Matthew Campen, that is studying how tiny particles known as microplastics accumulate in our bodies. The researchers' most recent paper, published in February in Nature Medicine, generated a string of alarmed headlines and buzz in the scientific community: They found that human brain samples from 2024 had nearly 50% more microplastics than brain samples from 2016. 'This stuff is increasing in our world exponentially,' Campen said. As it piles up in the environment, it is piling up in us, too. Some of the researchers' other findings have also prompted widespread concern. In the study, the brains of people with dementia had far more microplastics than the brains of people without it. In papers last year, the researchers showed that microplastics were present in human testes and placentas. Other scientists have also documented them in blood, semen, breast milk and even a baby's first stool. Also in February, along with colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Campen's lab released preliminary research showing that the placentas of babies who were delivered preterm contained more microplastics than those of babies delivered at full term, despite having had less time for those particles to accumulate. But for all the places they found microplastics, and all the concern about health risks, there was so much that the researchers still did not understand. The first thing toxicologists learn is that 'the dose makes the poison': Any substance, even water, can be poisonous at a high enough dose. But Campen and Garcia had no idea what amount of microplastics it took to start causing health problems. And with so many plastics in our world, was it our food, our clothes, our air or other sources entirely that posed the greatest threat? To start answering these questions, they turned to dead bodies. Hunting for Plastics Down the hall from Garcia's search, a cabinet in the team's main laboratory held samples from brains, livers, kidneys, arteries, and sex organs. Garcia opened a jar labeled 'DB' — for 'dementia brains' — that released a smell familiar to anyone who's spent time in an anatomy lab: formaldehyde. Using tweezers, he plucked out a piece of brain tissue and placed it on a glass petri dish. It resembled a piece of tofu, with thick gray matter surrounding a narrow band of white. In their paper, the researchers reported the median concentration of microplastics in 24 human brains from 2024 was nearly 5,000 micrograms per gram, though there is a fair amount of uncertainty in that estimate because of the methods used to calculate it. That's about 7 grams of plastic per brain — as much as makes up a disposable spoon, Campen said, or about five water bottle caps. The brains of people with dementia had more, though the researchers noted that might be because those brains have a more porous blood-brain barrier and are less able to clear toxic particles. It's not yet clear what effect this amount of plastic has on human health, but it's enough to cause alarm. 'I don't think I've talked to a single person who's said: 'Fantastic! Love to know that there's all that plastic in my brain,'' Campen quipped. His group is now studying tissue from cross sections of a single brain to find out whether certain regions have higher microplastics concentrations and whether that could be linked to issues like Parkinson's or memory loss. Ideally, for comparison, he would like to study a brain from before the 1970s or 1960s, when plastics became ubiquitous. 'You can imagine the classic old museum with a brain floating in a jar,' he said. 'I really need one of those.' The experiments are costly and time-consuming. Brain samples aren't easy to come by. The machines that analyze the plastics are about $150,000 a pop. (Next to the oldest one, a research assistant had placed a candle with a picture of Jesus and the words 'I trust in you,' in hopes of keeping the machine running smoothly. Of course, they don't light it.) But these studies have made it possible for Campen to draw certain conclusions that nobody else has. They led him to believe that the microplastics in our bodies are much smaller than anything other scientists had described, which would explain how they get past our bodies' barriers and into our organs. He confirmed that suspicion using a high-resolution microscope: It showed shard-like fragments no more than 200 nanometers long — about 400 times less than the width of a hair — and so thin they were translucent. Earlier studies had largely used microscopes that could see down only to 25 times that size. To Campen, documenting particles so small could upend our understanding of how much plastic is in us, how it gets there, where it could go, and what damage it might do. Going Back Decades Researchers can't say for certain how these plastics are getting into our bodies or where they originated, but they have some clues. They know that plastic waste ends up in our soil, water, air, and even rain, said Christy Tyler, a professor of environmental science at the Rochester Institute of Technology who studies microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. It may be incorporated into plants and concentrated as it moves up the food chain. Plastic is in our clothes, our rugs, our couches, and our food storage containers — 'really, it's everywhere,' Tyler said. The characteristics of the plastics Campen's team found in human tissue suggest they came primarily from waste that was produced many years ago and was weathered over time. The researchers found a significant amount of polyethylene, for example, the dominant type of plastic produced in the 1960s, but less of the plastic used in water bottles, which took off in the 1990s. Because plastic production has doubled every 10 to 15 years, even if we were to stop making it today, so much plastic is already in use that more and more plastic waste would accumulate in the environment and, potentially, in our bodies for decades to come. Campen suspects the main way these plastics get inside our bodies is when we ingest them, long after they've been discarded and started to break down. He is less concerned about so-called fresh plastics, like those that slough off cutting boards and water bottles as we are using them, because those particles are much larger and newer than what he has measured. And research suggests that the body clears out some larger microplastics. Campen acknowledged that his view on fresh plastics was 'unconventional,' and other scientists say it's worth taking steps to reduce your exposure. Microplastics can leach out of water bottles, microwaved food containers, and synthetic clothing, and research from animal studies suggests these particles could be harmful, said Tracey Woodruff, director of the program on reproductive health and the environment at the University of California, San Francisco. 'Maybe more of it is coming from this degraded microplastic, but that doesn't mean you're not getting exposed from these other, fresher microplastics,' Woodruff said. Larger particles can still affect the gut, which might then affect the rest of the body, Campen said. Additionally, scientists believe that certain chemicals in plastics, like phthalates, bisphenol A, and flame retardants, can harm human health. 'There are many years of study on these plastics to be done,' Woodruff said. 'But we still have plenty of science to be like, 'Wow, I know I don't want to be exposed to any more plastics.'' Tyler said the University of New Mexico lab had done the best work possible for such a nascent field. 'Matt's group is at the very cutting edge,' she said. But, as with any early science, there are caveats. For one, these tiny particles are extremely difficult to measure. And nobody has yet repeated the research to see if the results hold up. The big question is whether everything they're measuring is plastic — or if some of it is lipids, which can look similar chemically but occur naturally in the body. 'The estimates they have for how much is in the brain seem high,' Woodruff said. But even if they are, she said, 'that wouldn't negate the findings that they're seeing more plastics over time. And that is very consistent with what we know about the production of plastic.' Getting a Handle on the Health Risks There's one question Campen and Garcia feel they have started to answer with some confidence. That's the one they began with: How much plastic is in our bodies? Now they are ready to explore possible links between certain doses and human health outcomes, such as heart disease, fertility issues, and multiple sclerosis. And they are starting an experiment in animals to understand what doses might be harmful. Teya Garland, a pharmacy student, was beginning that process in the lab. Wearing a mask to avoid inhaling particles, she inserted bits of what looked like colored chalk into a machine that howled eerily as it froze and pulverized the plastics. Eventually, researchers will feed them to mice and study how different levels and types affect their brains and behavior. The pieces had come from the beach in Hawaii, where Garcia and others collected 1,800 pounds of plastic debris and 500 pounds of netting. Volunteers there clear about that amount every few weeks. 'It's one thing to see a picture,' Garcia said, looking at a video he shot on his phone. 'To see it when we were there, it just opens your eyes,' he added. Every imaginable use for plastic — takeout containers, bleach bottles, cigarettes, plastic bags, and even lab equipment — seemed to be represented on that beach and in the ocean that stretched beyond it. And every day, it was breaking down, getting smaller and smaller. One day, some of it could end up in us. This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Spoonful of Shock: ‘Saving Our Seas' dives into plastic pollution problem plaguing our planet
'Saving Our Seas: Compounding Catastrophe Pt. 1: Plastic Problems' KTLA's new ocean conservation series 'Saving Our Seas' dives into one of the largest and most worrisome issues facing our planet… the plastic problem. It's a compounding catastrophe that has already begun affecting the creatures all the way up the food chain, including mankind. In this episode, we partner with the Monterey Bay Aqaurium to take a deeper look at the platic predicament and how it's affecting all of us on this planet. Margaret Spring, Chief Conservation & Science Officer at MBA recently returned from a negotiaition of the Global Plastics Treaty, which aims to end plastic pollution on our planet. '175 plus countries agreed to negotiate a treaty to end plastic pollution, which is great news,' says Spring. 'The discussion is how. And that's where we are.' Spring says microplastics have inundated our food chain, 'If you've ever seem marine snow when you're down in the ocean, those little pieces are things that animals eat. Microplastics look a lot like that… and so they'll be eating that instead of food.' But Spring says it's not just sea creatures who will suffer, 'I would say human health is part of the plastics crisis.' In fact, Dr. Matthew Campen, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Albuquerque authored a shocking new study that found plastics in human brains have spiked 50 percent in just the last 8 years. 'When you take our numbers from the mass spectrometry,' Dr. Campen says, 'it comes out to about 7 grams of plastic in the brain. Which is approximately the weight of a plastic spoon.' 'If these numbers are correct, the brain would be 99.5% brain, and .05% plastic,' he said. Dr. Campen says we've only just begun to understand how plastics will affect us. 'We worry that there's some things it's already doing and we haven't realized it yet. For fertility especially, sperm counts, women's health cancer rates for certain things that are increasing over time, that are not explained,' Dr. Campen says, 'and of course neurological diseases.' For more information about how you can get involved, visit our partners at Monterey Bay Aquarium's Act For the Ocean page. Stay tuned for part 2 of Compounding Catastrophe, where we look at the innovators shaping the solution. To watch the full series anytime, log onto This Segment aired on the KTLA Weekend Morning News on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
05-02-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Ingested plastic particles head for the brain
Feb 5 (Reuters) - The tiny bits of plastic pollution that make their way from the environment into our bodies accumulate at much higher concentrations in the human brain than in other organs, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed concentrations of microplastics in 91 brain tissue samples collected during autopsies in 2016 and 2024. The samples were from the frontal cortex, the brain region above and behind the eyes involved in cognitive and behavioral functions. Microplastic concentrations were up to 30 times greater in brains than in livers or kidneys, the research team reported in Nature Medicine, opens new tab. Concentrations in brains were comparable to those shown in previous analyses of plaque lining the arteries carrying blood to the brain. Brain tissue from people who had been diagnosed with dementia had up to 10 times as much plastic as brains from everyone else. The study did not answer whether higher levels of plastic in the brain caused the dementia symptoms. "We just don't know" how the plastic particles affect the brain, study leader Matthew Campen of the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy said in a statement. They might be obstructing blood flow in capillaries, or interfering with connections between nerve fibers in the brain, or somehow attracting the proteins involved in development of dementia, the researchers said. Microplastic accumulations in the brain and in the liver appear to be growing over time, the researchers also found. In brains, plastic concentrations increased 50% over the eight-year study period, in concert with an increase in plastic waste on the planet, Campen noted. Campen said that while consumers often shrug when warned about environmental contaminants, the new findings should trigger alarm. "I have yet to encounter a single human being who says, 'There's a bunch of plastic in my brain, and I'm totally cool with that.'" Diabetes drug may prevent chemo-related heart failure Treatment with a popular class of diabetes drugs may help prevent the heart damage that often results from cancer chemotherapy, animal experiments suggest. Roughly one in 20 cancer patients receiving drugs known as anthracyclines develops heart failure, researchers noted in JACC CardioOncology, opens new tab. In pigs receiving anthracyclines, the researchers administered a 20 mg daily dose of the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin, sold as Jardiance by Boehringer Ingelheim. Empagliflozin increases the heart muscle's consumption of an energy source known as ketone bodies, thereby preserving the heart's metabolism, or its ability to fuel itself and produce energy. The energy production in turn preserves the heart's ability to contract and pump blood, the researchers noted. "Our study demonstrates that empagliflozin prevents structural alterations in cardiomyocytes," or heart muscle cells, such as atrophy and DNA damage, study leader Danielle Medina-Hernández of Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares in Madrid, said in a statement. "These results underline the potential of SGLT2 inhibitors not only in the treatment of heart failure, but also as a preventive therapy in cancer patients receiving treatments associated with severe cardiovascular side effects," Medina-Hernández added. here.
Arab Times
05-02-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
Could your brain contain a spoonful of microplastics? New study reveals shocking findings
NEW YORK, Feb 5: A new study suggests that the average human brain may contain a surprising amount of plastic, with the findings raising concerns about the potential health implications. Research from the University of New Mexico reveals that the amount of plastic found in human brains has increased significantly between 2016 and 2024, with the highest concentrations found in individuals suffering from dementia. According to Dr. Matthew Campen, a toxicologist and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico, the average brain studied now contains the equivalent of a plastic throwaway spoon, roughly 7 grams of plastic. This research, published in Nature Medicine, found that while the average human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1,300-1,400 grams), the amount of plastic measured was concerning, especially as concentrations in the brain were seven to 30 times greater than those in other organs, such as the liver and kidneys. The study also noted that people with documented dementia had higher levels of microplastic particles in their brains compared to those without the condition. This highlights the growing environmental issue of plastic pollution, which is now being found in various human tissues, including arteries, lungs, blood, and even breast milk. Dr. Campen and his team analyzed brain, liver, and kidney samples from 52 people who had passed away and undergone autopsy between 2016 and 2024. The samples revealed plastic particles, most of which were smaller than 200 nanometers—about the size of two COVID viruses side by side. While previous research on microplastics has relied on self-reported data, this study used an objective approach to track the particles, offering a more detailed understanding of when and how they accumulate in the human body. One of the most surprising findings of the study was the presence of plastic particles in the brain, which is normally protected by the blood-brain barrier. While particles have been detected in other body parts, researchers were initially shocked to discover such high concentrations in the brain. They speculate that the liver and kidneys, which are responsible for filtering toxins, may be more efficient in removing plastics from the body. In contrast, the brain has limited clearance mechanisms, which could explain why plastic accumulates there more readily. The study also found that plastic particles are accumulating in the human body at an increasing rate, which mirrors the growth of plastic pollution in the environment. As the production of plastic continues to rise, more microplastics are entering the food chain and making their way into human tissues. Researchers are now investigating the potential sources of microplastics, including soil, plants, and meat, to better understand the extent of exposure. Although the study does not definitively state whether the presence of plastic particles in the brain is harmful, it raises important questions about the potential effects of long-term exposure to microplastics. While some scientists, like Dr. Gary Miller from Columbia University, argue that the study provides strong evidence of microplastics in human brains, there is still much to be learned about their long-term impact. One concern is that even without leaching harmful chemicals into the body, the mere presence of microplastic particles could trigger an immune response and cause inflammation, similar to how asbestos fibers can harm the lungs. Moreover, the study raises additional concerns about the possible link between dementia and plastic accumulation in the brain. Dr. Campen noted that in individuals with dementia, the blood-brain barrier is often compromised, potentially allowing more plastic to enter the brain. While the research does not yet confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship between plastic exposure and dementia, it opens the door for further studies to explore this potential connection. Given that plastic is now ubiquitous in the environment, it is almost impossible to avoid exposure to microplastics. However, scientists emphasize the need for more research to fully understand the potential health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults. Although it's too soon to draw conclusions about the effects of microplastics on human health, the study serves as a wake-up call for further investigation into this growing concern. As more data becomes available, researchers hope to gain a clearer picture of the long-term effects of plastic exposure and find ways to reduce its presence in the environment and human bodies. Until then, scientists agree that it is critical to continue monitoring the situation, especially in light of the mounting plastic pollution crisis.
