MICROPLASTICS AND HUMAN HEALTH: AN EMERGING MEDICAL-ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM

Abstract

Plastic materials are widely used in packaging, clothing, transport, construction and healthcare. As larger plastic items weather, fragment or shed fibres, small particles known as microplastics can enter air, water, soil and food. Human exposure may occur mainly through ingestion and inhalation, while the contribution of dermal contact remains less clear. Researchers have detected plastic particles in several human samples, including stool, lung tissue, blood and placental tissue, raising important questions about possible biological effects. This narrative review summarises the sources and pathways of exposure, current evidence on potential health consequences, and practical approaches to prevention. Laboratory and animal studies suggest possible mechanisms including oxidative stress, inflammation, changes in immune responses, disruption of intestinal barriers and effects related to chemicals associated with some plastics. Human studies are growing, but they remain limited by small samples, different analytical methods, possible contamination and difficulty establishing cause and effect. Therefore, detection of microplastics in a tissue should not automatically be interpreted as proof that the particles caused disease. Evidence is not yet sufficient to quantify an individual’s risk or to attribute specific common diseases to microplastic exposure. A precautionary public-health response is nevertheless reasonable: reducing avoidable plastic pollution, improving waste and wastewater management, limiting unnecessary single-use plastics, and strengthening validated monitoring and long-term human research. The issue calls for collaboration between clinicians, environmental scientists, public-health authorities, industry and communities.