According to the abstract of a February 1, 2023 PLOS One article by researchers with UK University of Hull and others “… Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment, in the human food chain … This study analysed digested human saphenous vein tissue samples (n = 5) using μFTIR spectroscopy (size limitation of 5 μm) to detect and characterise any MPs present … While the MP levels within tissue samples were not significantly different than those identified within procedural blanks (which represent airborne contamination at time of sampling), they were comprised of different plastic polymer types …. This study reports the highest level of contamination control and reports unadjusted values alongside different contamination adjustment techniques. This is the first evidence of MP contamination of human vascular tissues. These results support the phenomenon of transport of MPs within human tissues, specifically blood vessels, and this characterisation of types and levels can now inform realistic conditions for laboratory exposure experiments, with the aim of determining vascular health impacts …”
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