The new study has scientists concerned that microplastics may be contributing to reproductive health issues.
Whether it's our bloodstream, brain, or lungs, microscopic fragments of plastic seem to turn up every time scientists scour a new corner of the human body.published this month finds microplastics can build up in the testicles of humans and dogs — raising more questions about the potential health impacts of these particles.to microplastics can impact sperm quality and male fertility, but scientists are still in the early stages of translating this work to human health.
"What they do in the body, we don't know," says Campen, a professor at the UNM College of Pharmacy and one of the authors of the study,"Obviously, little tiny particles can disrupt the way cells behave."— what's in PVC piping — emerged as another prominent culprit and was the second most common microplastics in the dog testicles.
In the University of New Mexico study, the concentration of microplastics in human testicles was on average three times higher than in dogs. Exactly how the microplastics are making their way into the testicles requires further study. Campen suspects they could be"hitchhiking" through the gut via tiny fat particles that get metabolized and then fan out across the body.
Lea says there's now research showing these chemical contaminants can affect the hormonal control of reproduction, at different levels in the body, including in the brain.in sperm count, says she's concerned about the accumulation of microplastics. But it's not yet clear finding them in the testicles rather than other parts of the body is more worrisome from the standpoint of reproductive health.
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