A new study has shown how microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules, which make them much more likely to be internalized by living cellsUniversity of Bayreuth

Microplastics are starting to turn up in all kinds of places, from the heights of Mount Everest, to the sea ice in the Antarctic, to the organs and tissues of the human body. In an effort to better understand how these tiny fragments of plastic are absorbed by organisms in aquatic environments, scientists have carried out a study that shows how a coating of biomolecules can act as a “Trojan horse” that sneaks them into living cells.

Researchers are beginning to shine a light on just how widespread microplastic pollution is, and how it can affect living organisms. These tiny pieces of plastic measure less than 5 mm in size and are therefore very difficult to trace through the environment, though recent studies have found them in sea turtles, sea bass and crustaceans. One study on Japanese medaka fish demonstrated how microplastics can cause aneurysms, as well as reproductive changes.

A team of scientists from Germany’s University of Bayreuth set out to explore how microplastics can make their way into living organisms after some time in the marine environment, which is where a huge portion of plastic waste ends up. The team worked with microplastics measuring around three micrometers in size, which they say are similar to those often found in the environment, and drew up a couple of experiments to study their behavior.

Some of the particles were placed in fresh water from an artificial pond, while others were placed in salt water from an aquarium. Within two weeks, both groups of microplastic particles developed coatings made up of biomolecules.

“Spectroscopic examinations indicate that these biomolecules are carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleic acids, and proteins,” explains first author of the study, Anja Ramsperger. “We are talking about an ‘eco-corona’ that forms on the microplastic particles in a natural environment.”

Our study supports the assumption that microplastics which were exposed to the natural environment – and are therefore coated with biomolecules – not only pass through the digestive tract when ingested with food, but may also be incorporated into tissue,” says Dr. Christian Laforsch from the University of Bayreuth. “The coating of biomolecules may act as a kind of Trojan horse that allows plastics to be internalized into living cells. The precise damage that the particles can cause here has not yet been sufficiently investigated. It is also still largely unclear which of the properties of microplastics are actually responsible for any negative effects.”

“Herein lies the great unknown regarding plastic pollution. While studies have began to explore its effects on living organisms such as fish, as mentioned above, the impacts on human health are yet to be properly explored. The World Health Organization launched a health review in 2018 after finding plastic particles in 93 percent of bottled water, and other research groups are shifting their focus toward the health outcomes of plastic pollution, so it is an increasingly active area of scientific inquiry.

https://newatlas.com/environment/waterborne-microplastics-bio-coatings-living-cells/

PermeateFree said:

A new study has shown how microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules, which make them much more likely to be internalized by living cellsUniversity of Bayreuth

Microplastics are starting to turn up in all kinds of places, from the heights of Mount Everest, to the sea ice in the Antarctic, to the organs and tissues of the human body. In an effort to better understand how these tiny fragments of plastic are absorbed by organisms in aquatic environments, scientists have carried out a study that shows how a coating of biomolecules can act as a “Trojan horse” that sneaks them into living cells.

Researchers are beginning to shine a light on just how widespread microplastic pollution is, and how it can affect living organisms. These tiny pieces of plastic measure less than 5 mm in size and are therefore very difficult to trace through the environment, though recent studies have found them in sea turtles, sea bass and crustaceans. One study on Japanese medaka fish demonstrated how microplastics can cause aneurysms, as well as reproductive changes.

A team of scientists from Germany’s University of Bayreuth set out to explore how microplastics can make their way into living organisms after some time in the marine environment, which is where a huge portion of plastic waste ends up. The team worked with microplastics measuring around three micrometers in size, which they say are similar to those often found in the environment, and drew up a couple of experiments to study their behavior.

Some of the particles were placed in fresh water from an artificial pond, while others were placed in salt water from an aquarium. Within two weeks, both groups of microplastic particles developed coatings made up of biomolecules.

“Spectroscopic examinations indicate that these biomolecules are carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleic acids, and proteins,” explains first author of the study, Anja Ramsperger. “We are talking about an ‘eco-corona’ that forms on the microplastic particles in a natural environment.”

Our study supports the assumption that microplastics which were exposed to the natural environment – and are therefore coated with biomolecules – not only pass through the digestive tract when ingested with food, but may also be incorporated into tissue,” says Dr. Christian Laforsch from the University of Bayreuth. “The coating of biomolecules may act as a kind of Trojan horse that allows plastics to be internalized into living cells. The precise damage that the particles can cause here has not yet been sufficiently investigated. It is also still largely unclear which of the properties of microplastics are actually responsible for any negative effects.”

“Herein lies the great unknown regarding plastic pollution. While studies have began to explore its effects on living organisms such as fish, as mentioned above, the impacts on human health are yet to be properly explored. The World Health Organization launched a health review in 2018 after finding plastic particles in 93 percent of bottled water, and other research groups are shifting their focus toward the health outcomes of plastic pollution, so it is an increasingly active area of scientific inquiry.

https://newatlas.com/environment/waterborne-microplastics-bio-coatings-living-cells/

I was asked what I had against plastics and my answer was that it gets everywhere and never goes away.

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

… and then the forum was instantly stunned into silence.

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

Don’t know why all these dozy scientists write this crap and then their peer reviewers agree with it, after which you have those money making journals that publish it. I reckon it is one bloody great conspiracy.

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

Sand is quite harmful it turned Anakin into Darth Vader

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

Don’t know why all these dozy scientists write this crap and then their peer reviewers agree with it, after which you have those money making journals that publish it. I reckon it is one bloody great conspiracy.

Don’t you know by now that Moll knows best? :-P

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

What is a PVC food supplement ?

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

> microplastics in water can develop coatings of biomolecules

I bet PVC doesn’t. I’d like to see PVC used more often as a food supplement.

As for other plastics, they’re less harmful than sand.

Don’t know why all these dozy scientists write this crap and then their peer reviewers agree with it, after which you have those money making journals that publish it. I reckon it is one bloody great conspiracy.

Don’t you know by now that Moll knows best? :-P

There is lots of peer reviewed research that show that plastics can be harmful.

There is lots of peer reviewed research that shows microplastics are everywhere.

Is there any peer reviewed research showing that microplastics are harmful?

Dark Orange said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

Don’t know why all these dozy scientists write this crap and then their peer reviewers agree with it, after which you have those money making journals that publish it. I reckon it is one bloody great conspiracy.

Don’t you know by now that Moll knows best? :-P

There is lots of peer reviewed research that show that plastics can be harmful.

There is lots of peer reviewed research that shows microplastics are everywhere.

Is there any peer reviewed research showing that microplastics are harmful?

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=oceon+life+microplastics+harm&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Dark Orange said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

Don’t know why all these dozy scientists write this crap and then their peer reviewers agree with it, after which you have those money making journals that publish it. I reckon it is one bloody great conspiracy.

Don’t you know by now that Moll knows best? :-P

There is lots of peer reviewed research that show that plastics can be harmful.

There is lots of peer reviewed research that shows microplastics are everywhere.

Is there any peer reviewed research showing that microplastics are harmful?

Well if you read the article they state that microplastic that are absorbed into the body, especially with humans requires further research. However becoming part plastic does not sound like a beneficial long-term solution for anything, particularly as we being at the top of the food chain it would form a part of our diet.

PermeateFree said:

Dark Orange said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Don’t you know by now that Moll knows best? :-P

There is lots of peer reviewed research that show that plastics can be harmful.

There is lots of peer reviewed research that shows microplastics are everywhere.

Is there any peer reviewed research showing that microplastics are harmful?

Well if you read the article they state that microplastic that are absorbed into the body, especially with humans requires further research. However becoming part plastic does not sound like a beneficial long-term solution for anything, particularly as we being at the top of the food chain it would form a part of our diet.

Microplastics may threaten people more directly. A study published in April found particles and microfibers in packaged sea salt, beer, bottled water and tap water, making it virtually certain we are ingesting microplastics. In bottled beverages microplastics could be infiltrating during the bottling process; microfibers could be falling from the atmosphere into the reservoirs that supply tap water. Even for researchers steeped in the field, “it still comes as a shock,” Rochman says. “It just shows that the mismanagement of our waste is coming back to us.”

Because it is unethical to intentionally feed doses of microplastic particles to humans, some researchers, like Browne, have turned to medical studies that use particles to deliver precise amounts of drugs to specific areas of the body to get a better sense of how easily microplastics might move through humans. If particles are small enough, they might migrate through the body and potentially accumulate in places like the bloodstream. A study of hamsters injected with microplastics suggests such particles can lead to blood clots.

Humans could also be inhaling microfibers as they fall from the sky—everywhere from the heart of Paris to the remote Arctic. Small airborne particles are known to lodge deep in the lungs where they can cause various diseases, including cancer. Factory workers who handle nylon and polyester have shown evidence of lung irritation and reduced capacity (although not cancer), but they are exposed to much higher levels than the average person. Stephanie Wright, a research associate at King’s College London, is trying to better understand how much microfiber humans are actually exposed to and whether airborne microplastics might penetrate the lungs. She is also teaming up with the university’s toxicology unit to examine their lung tissue collection for signs of microfibers and related damage.

Some scientists say the focus on microplastics in humans might be missing a larger point: People are continually exposed to plastic food and beverage containers, which could be a much bigger source of at least the chemicals added to plastics such as the endocrine disruptor BPA. The potential exposure to microplastics hasn’t stopped Rochman from eating seafood, however. “To the best of my knowledge the benefits outweigh the costs,” she says. It could be that, as with many pollutants, there is a threshold beyond which microplastics become toxic to humans or other species. “We just need to try to understand what that threshold is,” she notes.

Experts say the sheer ubiquity of the contaminant combined with the harm that has already been observed is enough for humanity to start to clean up its act. “There are always questions to be answered,” Rochman says, but we have reached the point where “it’s enough information to act toward solutions.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-fish-to-humans-a-microplastic-invasion-may-be-taking-a-toll/