Scientists Find Microplastics in Human Brains, Health Impact Unclear
UNITED STATES, AUG 1 – Microplastics have been found in brain tissue samples from New Mexico, but experts say current evidence is insufficient to determine health impacts or causal links, studies show.
- Amid broader microplastic investigations, scientists found microplastics in human brain tissue on 01 August 2025 in a Nature Medicine study examining samples from 28 people who died in 2016 and last year in New Mexico.
- Amid rising plastic production, scientists noted nanoplastics capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, with microplastics found in lungs, hearts, placentas, and the brain.
- Using advanced two-photon imaging, researchers observed polystyrene microplastics engulfed by immune cells and trapped in mouse brain capillaries, reducing blood flow and impairing neural function.
- Amid growing evidence of plastic pollution, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health urged precautionary policy actions before full scientific certainty, with UN talks in Geneva next week.
- Despite current uncertainties, researchers continue to probe, as a 2022 WHO review found evidence insufficient to determine microplastic health risks, while scientists suggest long-term MPL-cell obstructions could contribute to neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease.
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Microplastics found to obstruct brain blood vessels in troubling neuroscience study
A new study reveals that microplastics in the bloodstream can impair brain function by clogging tiny blood vessels. In mice, immune cells that engulf these particles become trapped in the brain’s capillaries, reducing blood flow and triggering neurological symptoms.
Microplastics reach the brain, heart and bone. What does this mean for our health? New studies provide initial clues.
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