Microplastics probably aren’t in your brain at alarming rates after all.
Slate • • health
Key Points:
- A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine claimed to find significant amounts of microplastics in human brain tissue, sparking concern about potential health impacts, though the researchers acknowledged uncertainty about toxicity.
- Subsequent scrutiny revealed duplicated images and methodological flaws in the study, including possible contamination from lab materials or the environment, leading critics to question the validity of the findings.
- Similar issues have been raised about other microplastics research, such as studies detecting plastics in human blood, with concerns over false positives and rushed publication processes compromising scientific rigor.
- Public reactions to such studies have sometimes led to alarmist behaviors, like costly and unproven microplastic cleansing procedures, despite limited evidence supporting health risks or benefits from such actions.
- Experts emphasize the
