Italian Study Found Presence Of Microplastics In Breast Milk. Pollution Is Real And It has To Be Taken Seriously!
In recent times, a lot of study and research has been done on women and their bodies. In fact, many studies have also focused on pregnant women and how the mothers and their babies are affected by the outside environment. Just take the instance of this recent study that found that pollution and soot particles can reach the fetus in the womb via the placenta. And the amount of particles found in the baby is dependent on how much the mother was exposed to it. Not just this, but yet another study conducted by Italian scientists found microplastics in hum breast milk for the very first time. And this is extremely concerning as it could have adverse health effects on the fetuses.
The study that was published in the journal Polymers by Italian researchers found microplastics – composed of PVC and polypropylene – in human breast milk. The research was conducted after 34 healthy mothers provided milk samples, a week after giving birth in Italy. Back in 2020, the Italian team found the same thing in human placentas.
Also Read: New Study Says Pollution Particles Can Reach The Fetus In The Womb. One More Reason Why We Need Stricter Regulations On Air Quality
The Italian team, after going through the breast milk samples, found microscopic plastic particles in three-quarters of them. Microplastics are basically small fragments of any kind of plastic that is smaller than 5mm in length. The study even highlighted that the fetuses were extremely vulnerable to chemical contaminants and that further research was the need of the hour.
After recording the mother’s consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging as well as the use of plastic-containing personal hygiene, the researchers found no correlation with the presence of microplastics in breast milk. And this was a matter of further concern as the omnipresence of plastic in the environment makes a mother’s exposure to it inevitable.
As per reports, Dr Valentina Notarstefano of Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Italy said, “So the proof of microplastics’ presence in breast milk increases our great concern for the extremely vulnerable population of infants… It will be crucial to assess ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation.”
Also Read: Study Says Antibodies In Breast Milk Remain For 10 Months After Covid Infection
Needless to say, the researchers emphasized the need to raise awareness to promote laws that reduced pollution. In fact, after the study was published many people on social media had a lot to say about the presence of microplastics found in breast milk. Check out what people said:
Microplastics have officially been found in human breast milk for the first time in a new study that detected the contaminant in 75% of the samples tested after we also found microplastics inside the lungs and crossing the blood-brain barrier. This is our generation's lead paint.
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) October 11, 2022
There’s a terrifying class offered by Parsons called Healthier Designs For All. That laminate flooring that everyone puts down now so they can have “wood” flooring without the up keep? Creating micro plastics when walked on. It’s in children’s lungs.
— SheTweets (@SHacker0210) October 12, 2022
As a Pedi, I see pubertal issues at much younger ages. More auto immune problems, eczema, asthma, food allergies. GI cancers now at young ages. And so many infertile couples…nature is sending us a message, who’s listening??
— Kidmdss 🟧 (@kidmdss) October 12, 2022
Honestly, we really need to give a lot more thought to the environment we’re helping create and live in. Pollution and climate change are real and need to be taken seriously. We can’t just sit back and relax while the newer generation (and the mothers) are suffering.
