Microplastics found in human breast milk for the first time

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Microplastics found in human breast milk for the first time

For the first time, Microplastics found in human breast milk, which has researchers worried about the potential health effects on infants.

According to scientists, children are especially vulnerable to chemical contaminants. Thus more research is urgently required.
They stressed that breastfeeding is still, by far, the greatest method for feeding a baby, according to The Guardian.

Microplastics found in human breast mile

34 healthy moms in Rome, Italy, provided breast milk samples one week after giving birth. According to The Guardian, 75% of them had microplastics.

Microplastics are dangerous for human cell lines, laboratory animals, and marine creatures, but it is uncertain how they affect people.

Hazardous substances like phthalates, previously found in breast milk, are routinely found in plastics.

The moms\’ use of plastic-containing personal hygiene products and their consumption of seafood and food and beverages in plastic packaging were observed. There was, however, no connection to the presence of microplastics. The article stated that although larger studies in the future may show particular risk factors, the researchers claimed that human exposure is \”unavoidable\” due to the pervasive prevalence of microplastics in the environment.

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In 2020, an Italian team discovered microplastics in human placentas. This evidence of microplastics in breast milk, according to Dr. Valentina Notarstefano of the Università Politecnica Delle Marche in Ancona, Italy, \”increases our enormous concern for the highly susceptible population of infants.\”

 Notarstefano said

\”It will be crucial to assess ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation,\” she said. \”But it must be stressed that the advantages of breastfeeding are much greater than the disadvantages caused by the presence of polluting microplastics. Studies like ours must not reduce breastfeeding of children, but instead raise public awareness to pressure politicians to promote laws that reduce pollution,

Another recent study indicated that milk microplastics and bottle-fed neonates in cow\’s milk are likely to ingest millions daily.

Countless tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into the environment, and tiny plastic particles poison every inch of the planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the bottom of the deepest oceans. The tiny particles, which have been found in both infants\’ and adults\’ feces, are ingested through food and water and inhaled.

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According to a study published in Polymers, microplastics consisting of polyethylene, PVC, and polypropylene were found in breast milk. These materials are frequently used in packaging. Smaller plastic particles are likely to exist because the researchers could not analyze particles smaller than 2 microns in size. The report also said that no plastic was used in the collection, storage, or analysis of the breast milk samples and that control samples were also processed to rule out contamination.

While specific microplastic risk factors were not discovered in this short study, Notarstefano said:

\”We would like to advise pregnant women to pay greater attention to avoiding food and drink packaged in plastic, cosmetics and toothpastes containing microplastics, and clothes made of synthetic fabrics.\”

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