A new study has detected microplastics in human breast milk for the first time, sparking concerns over the potential toxic effects and health impact they may have on infants.
Microplastics (MPs) are extremely small plastic particles composed of mixtures of polymers and functional additives.
The majority of MPs are unintentionally released into the environment during the disposal and breakdown of larger plastic products or industrial waste, although they are also deliberately manufactured and added to products like exfoliating facial scrubs.
Researchers in the study took breast milk samples from 34 healthy new mothers who were lactating a week after giving birth in Rome, Italy. Their milk was then analyzed by Raman microspectroscopy, which found MPs in 26 of the 34 women.
The researchers recorded the women’s consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging and of seafood, as well as their use of personal care products containing plastic compounds.
However, they did not find any significant relationship between the two, which they said suggested “that the ubiquitous MP presence makes human exposure inevitable.”
“In fact, the chemicals possibly contained in foods, beverages, and personal care products consumed by breastfeeding mothers may be transferred to the offspring, potentially exerting a toxic effect,” the study authors wrote.
Breastfeeding Benefits Outweigh Disadvantages
Valentina Notarstefano at the Universita Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona, Italy, told The Guardian that it is crucial to find ways for pregnant women to reduce exposure to these contaminants, both during pregnancy and breastfeeding.However, she pointed to the advantages of breastfeeding, which she said outweighed 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,” Notarstefano said.
“We would like to advise pregnant women to pay greater attention to avoiding food and drink packaged in plastic, cosmetics, and toothpaste containing microplastics, and clothes made of synthetic fabrics,” Notarstefano added.
Researchers in that study noted that infants crawl around on carpets that typically contain transferable microplastics.
Earlier this year, scientists at Hull York Medical School in England also found microplastics deep in the lungs of living humans for the first time.
