“Worrying”: microplastics found inside human bones

It is not only in organs: particles that derive from fossil fuels can even penetrate the bone marrow and cause disturbances in human metabolism.

The plastic particles we eat without realizing are derived from fossil and highly harmful fuels. Now, these particles with less than 5 mm in sizewere found in deep interior of our bones.

“A significant set of investigations suggests that microplastics can penetrate deep into the bone tissue, such as the bone marrowand potentially cause disturbances in your metabolism, ”says the Brazilian scientist and doctor RODRIGO BUENO DE OLIVEIRAone of the authors of one from the State University of Campinas, published this year in Osteoporosis International.

Besides being able to reduce bone growth, These particles can still provoke disturbances in osteoclasts (Cells that support bone growth and repair) can weaken bone structure, which makes bones more vulnerable to deformities and fractures.

“Studies in vitro with bone tissue cells demonstrated that microplastics compromise cell viability, They accelerate cell aging and alter their differentiation, as well as promote inflammation, ”explains Bueno de Oliveira.

“The adverse effects observed worryingly culminated in the interruption of the skeletal growth of animals,” he says.

Although this may not translate directly into human bones, the overall prevalence of osteoporosis – A condition in which bones become more fragile and prone to fractures – is increasing. Investigators suspect that microplastics may be a weight factor.