The findings of this study are particularly alarming as they suggest there are now endocrine disruptors, likely present in the majority of people, capable of causing structural changes and physical damage long before the long-term endocrine effects get a chance to accumulate and cause harm on their own. Namely, the study below found microplastics in four (4) out of five (5) male patients diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED). Now, as is probably obvious to all readers, these microplastics did not get lodged into the male reproductive organs directly. They got transported there by the vascular system and their origin is likely the various foods and drink we consume that were packaged in plastic containers/bags. As such, all other highly vascular organs (and especially the heart, as a study author noted) are likely to have similar accumulations of microplastics. As suggested above, putting their endocrine disrupting effects aside, those microplastics directly cause endothelial damage by physically injuring the blood vessel walls, which results in a chronic low-grade inflammation response in said vessels. That low-grade vascular inflammation is a known cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), dementia, mental conditions, and even cancer. In some cases, if the microplastic particles are big enough, they can cause blockage of a specific vessel and lead to an ischemic event, which in the case of an organ such as the heart (e.g. heart attack) or brain (e.g. stroke), can be lethal. Unfortunately, since there is no known way to trigger the removal of those plastic particles, the only “solution” (as the study authors themselves state) is to avoid using plastics as much as possible in our daily lives. Given just this issue alone, it is little wonder there is an infertility epidemic in most “developed” countries, where the usage of plastics is ubiquitous. Those microplastics in our bodies are both chemical (through their endocrine effects) and physical (through the physical damage/blockage they cause) contraceptives, in both men and women.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-024-00930-6
“…Male infertility remains a global issue, with its causes often not well understood. Given the growing evidence of microplastics infiltrating various biological systems, such as blood and lungs, researchers are now exploring their potential effects on reproductive systems. Previous research has investigated the presence of microplastics in male reproductive organs. For example, in one study, researchers discovered 12 different types of microplastics in the testicles of dogs and humans. In dogs, they found that higher levels of certain microplastics correlated with lower sperm counts and reduced testis weight. Now, new research published in IJIR: Your Sexual MedicineTrusted Source has revealed that four out of five penis tissue samples from five men contained seven different types of microplastics. These polymer fragments can vary in size from less than 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) to as small as 1 micrometer (1/25,000th of an inch). Smaller fragments, known as nanoplastics, are measured in billionths of a meter. Microplastics form when larger plastic materials degrade chemically or wear down physically into tinier pieces.”
