These days, the school science fair isn't just about vinegar and baking soda eruptions from papier-mâché volcanoes. One 14-year-old made a remarkable — and concerning — discovery.
Forbes detailed how eighth grader Anushka Sable tested her hypothesis about the impact of microplastics on the human body.
Sable thought that plastic particles in human white blood cells would alter their properties and lead to tumor-like formations. With the help of her mentor at Emory University, she began exposing microplastics to human immune cells. Sable discovered that monocytes — which help in the body's inflammatory response — began to take up some of those plastics.
Further research involving a 3D cell culture found more tumor-like structures, suggesting microplastics in the body have the potential to cause cancer.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, microplastics have been found throughout the human body, with studies detecting them in breast milk, placentas, testicles, hearts, livers, and kidneys.
This suggests that a range of organs could be at risk of cancer through the presence of microplastics.
Forbes noted that polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene are most commonly found in human blood samples. These plastic particles could enter our bodies through the water we drink and the foods we eat. Seafood is a notable microplastic risk because of the 50 to 75 trillion pieces of plastic and microplastic found in the ocean, as the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization observed.
But it's not all bad news. Forbes said that Sable's efforts could prompt further study and possible treatments for the harmful chemicals found in our bodies from microplastic exposure.
Investing in an air purifier or water filter can help reduce microplastic exposure. Scientists are also finding ways to better remove this pollutant from drinking supplies.
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