US doctors find high plastic concentration in placentae of premature babies

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a shocking study, a team of doctors in the US has found a high concentration of microplastics and nanoplastics in the placentae of infants born prematurely. Microplastics -- less than 5 millimeters --, and nanoplastics -- measured in billionths of a meter -- are invisible to the naked eye and are widespread throughout our environment. Previous research has shown that exposure to plastics in general is harmful to both the environment and humans. The team including from the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, and the University of New Mexico found that the levels of microplastics and nanoplastics were significantly higher in the preterm placenta. They were also at much greater levels than previously measured in human blood. This showed that plastics were likely accumulating in the placenta during pregnancy, with greater exposure and accumulation occurring in cases of preterm birth.

“The finding of higher placental concentrations among preterm births was surprising because it was counterintuitive to what you might expect if it was merely a byproduct of the length of time of the pregnancy,” said lead author Enrico R. Barrozo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. The team said that more than babies born at term, those born prematurely carried more microplastics and nanoplastics in their placenta.

“This hints at the possibility that the accumulation of plastics could be contributing to the risk and occurrence of preterm birth,” said the team, in the abstract, published in the journal Pregnancy. The team used highly sensitive mass spectrometry to analyse 175 placentae and compared them with 100 placentae collected at term and 75 collected preterm (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy). The study adds to the growing body of evidence against microplastics and nanoplastics ranging from heart disease to potential stroke. It demonstrates a real risk of exposure to plastics on human health and disease, said the team. The study will be presented at the ongoing Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting in Colorado, US.