Scientists discover promising new way to filter microplastics out of human body: 'The dose makes the poison'
There's finally some good news in the battle against something that's been quietly invading our lives: microplastics.
According to an article in News Medical, a team of scientists has discovered a promising new way to filter microplastics out of the human body by using a method similar to dialysis.
In a recent study published in Genomic Press, researchers showed that this blood filtration technique, called apheresis, could remove tiny plastic particles from human samples.
Why does this matter? Well, microplastics have been linked to all kinds of health issues, including inflammation and damage to the brain and nervous system. And, until now, experts didn't have a way to get them out of the body.
It's still the early days, but this technology is a hopeful step toward removing the toxins and tackling the hidden ways that pollution affects human health.
While people are pretty hopeful about this new technology, they are smart to also approach it with the proper amount of critical thinking.
The researchers are quick to point out that this is only a first step. As environmental researcher Frederic Béen told WIRED: "The dose makes the poison. That's the reason why it is important to determine accurately how much microplastics or any other type of environmental contaminants humans are exposed to."
Also, even if this technique works, that doesn't mean it will be a quick or easy fix. Apheresis is expensive, time-consuming, and not something people can just do casually, like a juice cleanse. That's part of what prompted one reader to comment, "I'm glad to hear some people were helped, but for the bulk of us, what's the point? Until microplastics are removed from the environment, you will quickly become recontaminated after all your time and expense."
This study doesn't solve the microplastics problem, but it does offer a small glimmer of hope that removal could be possible someday and that it can be done using tools we already have.
Until then, the best move is still prevention: cutting back on plastic use, pushing for better environmental policies, supporting science that helps us understand what's really going on inside our bodies, and finding new, unexpected ways to take care of our health.
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