Microplastics in the placenta – the invisible threat to our lives

Plastic is everywhere. In our oceans, in the air, in the soil and – as the latest research shows – also in our bodies. While we can see the large mountains of plastic in the oceans, another form of pollution often goes unnoticed: microplastics. These tiny particles, smaller than five millimetres, have now worked their way into every corner of our planet and even into our bodies.

The silent invasion of plastic particles

The problem with plastic is its durability. Just imagine that your childhood toothbrush still exists. Unlike organic materials, plastic does not decompose completely in the environment. Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces – down to microplastics and even smaller nanoparticles. These tiny fragments are so ubiquitous that they have been detected from the deepest seabed to the highest mountain peak.

The discovery of microplastics in human tissue is particularly worrying. Studies have already detected these particles in blood, stool and even in the placenta. According to a study published in the journal GEO, researchers found microplastics in every placenta examined – an alarming finding that raises questions about the risk to unborn life.

The difficult path to scientific knowledge

Research into the health effects of microplastics presents scientists with enormous challenges. One fundamental problem is that there are no longer any control groups. As microplastics are literally omnipresent, it is impossible to find people who have not come into contact with these particles.

This ubiquity makes it almost impossible to conduct comparative studies in which a group without microplastic exposure could serve as a reference. How can you study the health effects of a substance when practically everyone is exposed to it?

There are also methodological difficulties. The variety of plastic types and particle sizes makes identification and quantification difficult. In addition, the absorption routes – via air, food or skin – and the retention time in the body vary considerably. Even when taking and analyzing samples, there is a risk of contamination, which can lead to falsified results.

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Next level – Scientists find microplastics in the placenta

Today, every unborn child starts life with a cocktail of microplastics in its luggage. Not symbolically – quite real. A recent study published in February 2024 detected microplastics in all placentas examined. Using highly specialized analytical methods (pyrolysis gas chromatography and mass spectrometry), researchers were able to identify micro- and nanoplastic particles in 100% of the placenta samples examined (n=62) – in concentrations ranging from 6.5 to 685 micrograms per gram of tissue. On average, around 127 micrograms per gram were found.

What was long considered an environmental problem is now a medical emergency – but hardly anyone talks about it. The mother-child interface is no longer a protected space, but part of a system that prioritizes consumption over health. And while we are still debating whether plastic should be banned, a generation is growing up whose first cells are already contaminated.

The implications of this discovery are far-reaching and raise questions. Could microplastics affect fertility? What effects does it have on the development of an embryo? These are questions to which we urgently need answers, but research into which is hampered by the methodological problems already mentioned.