2024-09-30 16:03:55
Researchers from Bond University (Australia) were interested in the presence of micro and nanoplastics in the urinary tract. What pushed them to carry out this work, published on August 31, 2024 in the journal Journal of exposure Science & environmental epidemiology ? The fact that 404.61 million urinary tract infections were diagnosed in 2019, causing 236,000 deaths.
From a meta-analysis of six scientific articles, they determined that plastic particles were found in 54% of urine samples, 70% of kidney samples and 68% of samples from cases of breast cancer. bladder.
However, if microplastics are present in cases of cancer, how can we know if they are involved in the formation of these cancers? To try to answer this, the researchers analyzed a dozen previous studies that characterize the effects of plastic particles on the urinary tract. According to this research, the presence of plastic in the urinary tract causes toxicity and inflammation, reducing the lifespan of cells. These microparticles also disrupt extracellular signaling pathways which participate in particular in growth, cell differentiation and tumor transformation.
WHO challenged
“This study highlights the emerging threat of microplastic contamination in the human urinary tract, calling into question the World Health Organization’s assertion that microplastics pose no risk to public health,” write the authors, whose comments were reported in a press release from Bond University on September 27. In 2019, a WHO report on microplastics in drinking water suggested that“At this stage, there is no data to suggest any clear health problems associated with exposure to microplastic particles through drinking water.” What the authors of the study dispute.
For them, measures must be taken quickly. “The cytotoxic effects of microplastics, along with their ability to induce inflammation, reduce cell viability, and disrupt signaling pathways, raise significant public health concerns regarding bladder cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic urinary tract infections and incontinence”, continue the researchers. “As a result, this study highlights the urgent need for additional research and policy development to address the challenges associated with microplastic contamination. »
Accumulating evidence
Around 368 million tonnes of plastic were produced in 2019 and this figure is expected to double by 2050. The Vie-publique site underlines that this considerable growth can be explained in particular by the massive use of plastic in the packaging sector ( 36% of the global market share). Studies proving its presence in the tissues of the human body have multiplied recently.
Microplastics have thus been found in brains, placentas, testicular tissues… And a study has already shown the deleterious consequences of microparticles on the heart: the presence of plastics in atherosclerotic plaques removed from the carotids of patients corresponded to at a risk of cardiovascular accident more than 4 times higher than that of patients whose atherosclerotic plaques did not contain plastic.
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