Impacts of micro and nanoplastics on human health

Bulletin of the National Research Centre Jayavel et al. Bulletin of the National Research Centre (2024) 48:110 https://doi.org/10.1186/s42269-024-01268-1 Open Access REVIEW Impacts of micro and nanoplastics on human health Sridhar Jayavel1* , Boopalakrishnan Govindaraju1, Johni Rexliene Michael1 and Balaji Viswanathan1 Abstract Background Plastics are the most flexible products developed with a wide range of applications. They have been incorporated into almost every aspect of daily life due to their strength and low weight. However, widespread use and inadequate waste management have resulted in the accumulation of tiny plastic particles throughout the environment. Main text Microplastics are found in oceans, rivers, sediments, sewers, soil, and agricultural products, even in table salts. Human beings are affected by microplastics through food ingestion and inhalation. Incorporated microplastics may accrue within the body and affect gastrointestinal, immune, endocrine, brain, and respiratory systems. It also interferes with the functions of major organs and causes chromosomal abnormalities. Conclusion Addressing the issue of micro and nanoplastics requires interdisciplinary research, sustainable solutions, and improved waste management systems. The main focus of this review is to cover the harmful effects and impact of microplastics on human health and stress the need for combating strategies. Keywords Microplastics, Polymers, Nanoplastics, Plastic pollution, Human health, Waste management Background Plastics are man-made synthetic polymers used in most of the day-to-day activities. Plastics consist of a mixture of chemicals and additives, some of which can be harmful. Common plastic polymers found in the environment include polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A 2021 study identified over 10,000 unique chemicals in plastics, with 2,400 of them being of concern. Many countries do not effectively regulate many plastic precursor chemicals, including 901 chemicals that are not authorized for use in food packaging in some jurisdictions. The entire globe is now facing an environmental catastrophe due to plastic pollution. Single-use plastics *Correspondence: Sridhar Jayavel 1 Department of Biotechnology (DDE), Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625021, India accumulate in oceans, river beds, soil, and agricultural fields (Emmerik et al. 2022). Microplastics are small plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm in diameter, resulting from commercial product development and larger plastic breakdown. They pose a significant environmental and animal health threat, with two categories: primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are commercially designed particles, like cosmetics clothing, and textiles microfibers, while secondary microplastics result from larger plastics breakdown due to environmental factors like sun radiation and ocean waves. Microplastics will take centuries or millenniums of years to degrade and decompose, directly causing environmental damage. They can be seen on beaches as small, multi-colored plastic fragments in the sand and the oceans, and are often ingested by marine animals. Single-use plastics, such as straws, are the main contributors of secondary plastics in the environment. Microplastics are broken down into tiny particles, while microfiber and nanofiber plastics are drifting © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Jayavel et al. Bulletin of the National Research Centre (2024) 48:110 via air and water. Nanoplastics, smaller than 1 μm or 100 nm, are also a potential environmental threat due to their potential to be a temporary by-product during microplastic fragmentation or an invisible threat at high concentrations. Studying the adverse impacts of plastics on humans are more challenging than animals, as humans cannot be intentionally fed plastics and be used as a model system. A 2019 review by the European Union’s Scientific Advice Mechanism found that there is limited knowledge of the potential health risks posed to humans by nano and microplastics, with much uncertainty surrounding what is known. The review emphasized the need to understand potential toxicity modes in selected human models before drawing a robust conclusion on real human risks. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that there is insufficient information on microplastics in food and their impact on human health. It calls for further research on the development of new standardization methods for analyzing microplastics and determining their risk. Official authorities currently lack advice on changing eating habits or avoiding certain foods. Consumption of agricultural products with the presence of plastic materials of less than 5 mm diameter is now termed microplastics and is more widely recognized as a significant environmental threat and a health risk to human populations (Rochman et al. 2013; Katsnelson 2015). The presence of microplastics (MP) alters the soil flora and fauna which also affects crop development and yield (Azeem et al. 2021). A recent study has found the accumulation of MP in most of the consumed fruits and Vegetables (Aydin et al. 2023) and facilitates the flow within the food cycle. Plastic-contaminated food is crucial for humans as it can penetrate cell membranes, enter lymph and blood circulation, and accumulate in tissues and organs. Microplastics can harm human cells, leading to allergic reactions and cell death (apoptosis). However, no epidemiologic research has documented a link between microplastic exposure and health impacts in large groups, limiting conclusions beyond identifying microplastic presence. Main text Sources of microplastics Microplastics, primarily originating from tires, synthetic textiles, marine coatings, road markings, personal care products, plastic pellets, and urban dust, are primarily derived from civil activities. Microplastics come from primary or secondary sources, with primary microplastics being produced for specific uses like cosmetics, drugs, and industrials. Secondary microplastics a (...truncated)