Babies have 10 times more microplastics in their stools than adults, a new study has warned. Researchers from New York University found...
Babies have 10 times more microplastics in their stools than adults, a new study has warned.
Researchers from New York University found much higher levels of one type of microplastic, known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), when comparing the stools of adults and children.
They believe that the higher levels in babies could be down to exposure from baby products like dummies to crawling on carpets that contain the chemicals.
Worryingly, researchers are still unclear of the long-term health effects that exposure to microplastics could have.
However, previous research has linked microplastic exposure with cell death, inflammation, and metabolic disorders.
Babies have 10 times more microplastics in their stools than adults, a new study has warned (stock image)
Microplastic debris can be less than five millimetres in size and are found in the deepest oceans to indoor dust, food, and even bottled water.
They were thought to pass through our bodies harmlessly, but recent studies have confirmed that the tiniest fibres can cross cell membranes and enter the body's circulation.
The study conducted at the New York University School of Medicine, was published in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Professor Kurunthachalam Kannan, who led the study, said: 'Although average levels of faecal PC microplastics were similar between adults and infants, infant stool contained, on average, more than 10 times higher PET concentrations than that of adults.
'High concentrations of microplastics in the faeces of one-year-old infants can be attributed to extensive use of plastic products/articles such as baby feeding bottles, sippy cups, utensils such as spoons and bowls, plastic teethers, and toys, among others, during that growth stage.
'One-year-old infants are known to frequently mouth plastic products and clothing.
'In addition, studies have shown that infant formula prepared in bottles can release millions of microplastics and many processed baby foods are packaged in plastic containers that constitute another source of exposure in one-year-old infants.
'Furthermore, textiles are a source of PET MPs. Infants often chew and suck cloths, and therefore, exposure of this age group to MPs present in textiles is a greater concern.
'Carpets made of PET and PP can be another source of MP exposure, as infants crawl on the carpeted surfaces frequently.'
Professor Kannan and his colleagues started exploring the consequences of microplastics in humans by measuring levels in infant and adult faeces.
The researchers believe that the higher levels in babies could be down to exposure from baby products like dummies to crawling on carpets that contain the chemicals (stock image)
They were looking for two common microplastics - polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate (PC).
The researchers used mass spectrometry to determine the concentrations of the two microplastics in six infant and 10 adult samples of faeces, including three samples of the first stool created by newborn babies.
In all samples, microplastic fibres were found lurking in the stool. PC levels were about the same in adults and babies but the PET levels were 10 times higher in babies.
Professor Kannan sounded a note of caution as the study was very small and called for more research to be carried out.
He added: 'We found that concentrations of PET in infant faeces were significantly higher than those in adult faeces.
'Our data provide baseline evidence for MP exposure doses in infants and adults and support the need for further studies with a larger sample size to corroborate and extend our findings.'
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