A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that plastic particles in water may end up inside fish brains. The plastic can cause brain damage, which is the likely cause of behavioural disorders observed in the fish.
Calculations have shown that 10 per cent of all plastic produced around the world ultimately ends up in the oceans. As a result, a large majority of global marine debris is in fact plastic waste. Human production of plastics is a well-known environmental concern, but few studies have studied the effects of tiny plastic particles, known as nanoplastic particles.
“Our study is the first to show that nanosized plastic particles can accumulate in fish brains”, says Tommy Cedervall, a chemistry researcher at Lund University.
The Lund University researchers studied how nanoplastics may be transported through different organisms in the aquatic ecosystem, i.e. via algae and animal plankton to larger fish. Tiny plastic particles in the water are eaten by animal plankton, which in turn are eaten by fish.
According to Cedervall, the study includes several interesting results on how plastic of different sizes affects aquatic organisms. Most importantly, it provides evidence that nanoplastic particles can indeed cross the blood-brain barrier in fish and thus accumulate inside fish’s brain tissue.
In addition, the researchers involved in the present study have demonstrated the occurrence of behavioural disorders in fish that are affected by nanoplastics. They eat slower and explore their surroundings less. The researchers believe that these behavioural changes may be linked to brain damage caused by the presence of nanoplastics in the brain.
Another result of the study is that animal plankton die when exposed to nanosized plastic particles, while larger plastic particles do not affect them. Overall, these different effects of nanoplastics may have an impact on the ecosystem as a whole.
“It is important to study how plastics affect ecosystems and that nanoplastic particles likely have a more dangerous impact on aquatic ecosystems than larger pieces of plastics”, says Tommy Cedervall.
However, he does not dare to draw the conclusion that plastic nanoparticles could accumulate in other tissues in fish and thus potentially be transmitted to humans through consumption.
“No, we are not aware of any such studies and are therefore very cautious about commenting on it”, says Tommy Cedervall.
Learn more:Â Brain damage in fish affected by plastic nanoparticles
The Latest on: Plastic nanoparticles
[google_news title=”” keyword=”plastic nanoparticles” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Plastic nanoparticles
- What are microplastics doing to human health? Scientists work to connect the dotson May 6, 2024 at 11:06 pm
Plastic serves as a building block for our food packaging ... post-mortems on 29 patients with knee or hip replacement implants found mostly low levels of polyethylene nanoparticles in lymph nodes or ...
- Will microbes bring an end to the plastic disaster? The answer could be an artificial microbe that feasts on plasticon May 6, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Ongoing lab studies were promising enough for Colossal Biosciences to support a Harvard team to work towards developing X-32 to address the plastics crisis.
- Researchers develop a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrieron May 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Their goal is to ...
- 'Everywhere we looked, we found evidence': Microplastics expert on 20 years of pollution researchon May 6, 2024 at 9:14 am
Thirty years ago, while counting barnacles, limpets and seaweeds along rocky shores, I started noticing a daily tide of litter, mostly plastic. As a marine biology Ph.D. student at Liverpool ...
- Study maps how inhaled plastic particles journey through they bodyon May 5, 2024 at 11:00 pm
A team of researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) recently published a study modeling the effect of tiny plastic particles on the human bo | Technology ...
- Activity in a room stirs up nanoparticles left over from consumer sprayson May 1, 2024 at 5:10 am
Common household products containing nanoparticles -- grains of engineered material so miniscule they are invisible to the eye -- could be contributing to a new form of indoor air pollution, according ...
- Plastic pollution talks make modest progress but sidestep production curbson April 30, 2024 at 12:05 pm
OTTAWA, April 30 (Reuters) - Negotiations on a future global treaty to tackle soaring plastic pollution ran overtime into Tuesday morning amid tense debates over whether the world should seek to ...
- What are microplastics doing to human health? Scientists work to connect the dotson April 26, 2024 at 1:01 am
Plastic serves as a building block for our ... or hip replacement implants found mostly low levels of polyethylene nanoparticles in lymph nodes or organs. To shed light on the health impacts ...
- As treaty talks continue, new forecast predicts clouds with a 100% chance of plasticon April 24, 2024 at 1:43 pm
Mother Nature delivered a typical spring day Wednesday in Ottawa, with a morning of light drizzle fading into afternoon sunshine, near-freezing temperatures — and thousands of grams of plastic.
- Turning The Tide on Plastic Pollution Requires a Bold Global Effort | Opinionon April 24, 2024 at 6:12 am
We are at a tipping point. Plastic pollution is affecting planet, animal, and human health. We have hope that INC-4 stakeholders will take important steps toward solidifying a global treaty on plastic ...
via Bing News