Microplastics are everywhere. Starting from the air you breathe to the water you drink, these tiny plastics have become a part of life. And not to mention its impact on our environment. About 400 million tons of plastic are produced and used every year. They pollute beaches, rivers, and even the deepest parts of the ocean, reaching depths of up to 11,000 meters. Beyond these visible environmental impacts, plastic also contributes to climate change. About 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases are produced every year due to plastic production. Researchers have now found how plastic negatively affects bone tissue. A review of 62 scientific articles found that microplastics can harm bone health. The findings of the research are published in the journal Osteoporosis International.Microplastics and bone health
Studies have consistently shown that plastic used in everyday life has an impact on human health. The plastic particles used in curtains, furniture, clothing, and other plastic objects often detach from them, and the particles remain suspended in the air. They dissolve in water, and also get into food, can be inhaled, ingested, or come into contact with people’s skin. As a result, traces of microplastics have been detected in blood, the brain, the placenta, breast milk, and even human bones. Yes, that’s right. The Brazilian researchers have now looked into how microplastics affect bone health. The new review found that microplastics have also been harming bone health in various ways. What’s most alarming is that these microplastics can impair the function of bone marrow stem cells by promoting the formation of osteoclasts, which are multinucleated cells that degrade tissue through a process known as bone resorption. “The potential impact of microplastics on bones is the subject of scientific studies and isn’t negligible. For example, in vitro studies with bone tissue cells have shown that microplastics impair cell viability, accelerate cell aging, and alter cell differentiation, in addition to promoting inflammation,” Rodrigo Bueno de Oliveira, coordinator of the Laboratory for Mineral and Bone Studies in Nephrology (LEMON) at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the State University of Campinas (FCM-UNICAMP), in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, said in a statement.
Oliveira added that animal studies have shown that such changes can cause dysplasia, leading to bone weakening, deformities, and potentially pathological fractures. “In this study, the adverse effects observed culminated, worryingly, in the interruption of the animals’ skeletal growth.” “Most strikingly, a significant body of research suggests that microplastics can reach deep into bone tissue, such as bone marrow, and potentially cause disturbances in its metabolism,” he adds.Microplastic exposure and metabolic bone disease
Oliveira’s team is conducting further investigation on the relationship between exposure to microplastics and the worsening of metabolic bone diseases. The prevalence of osteoporosis-related fractures is rising globally, most due to the aging population, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. It is estimated that there will be a 32% spike in osteoporosis-related fractures by 2050.
“Improving quality of life and reducing the risk of bone complications, such as fractures, is a priority in healthcare. We already know that practices such as physical exercise, a balanced diet, and pharmacological treatments contribute significantly to this. However, although osteometabolic diseases are relatively well understood, there’s a gap in our knowledge regarding the influence of microplastics on the development of these diseases. Therefore, one of our goals is to generate evidence suggesting that microplastics could be a potential controllable environmental cause to explain, for example, the increase in the projected number of bone fractures,” Oliveira said.