Microplastics detected for the 1st time in human breast milk

Microplastics have been discovered for the first time in human breast milk, raising concerns among experts about the health consequences for infants.

Infants are particularly sensitive to chemical pollutants, according to scientists, and further study is urgently needed.

However, they emphasised that breastfeeding is still by far the best approach to nourish a baby, reports The Guardian.

Breast milk samples were collected from 34 healthy mothers in Rome, Italy, a week after giving birth. Of them 75% had microplastics, reports The Guardian.

Previous studies have demonstrated that microplastics are hazardous to human cell lines, lab animals, and marine species, but the impact on humans is unknown.

Plastics frequently include hazardous compounds, such as phthalates, which have previously been detected in breast milk.

The mothers' consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging, as well as seafood, was monitored, as was their usage of plastic-containing personal hygiene items. However, there was no link with the presence of microplastics. According to the researchers, the pervasive presence of microplastics in the environment "makes human exposure unavoidable," however larger investigations in the future may reveal specific risk factors, said the report.

The Italian team identified microplastics in human placentas in 2020. "So the proof of microplastics' presence in breast milk increases our great concern for the extremely vulnerable population of infants," said Dr Valentina Notarstefano, at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona, Italy.

"It will be crucial to assess ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation," she said. "But it must be stressed that the advantages of breastfeeding are much greater than the disadvantages caused by the presence of polluting microplastics. Studies like ours must not reduce breastfeeding of children, but instead raise public awareness to pressure politicians to promote laws that reduce pollution," Notarstefano said.

Another recent study found that bottle-fed newborns are likely to consume millions of microplastics each day, and that cow's milk can include microplastics, it said.

Massive amounts of plastic garbage are poured into the environment, and microplastics pollute the whole earth, from Mount Everest's top to the deepest oceans. The microscopic particles are consumed by food and water, as well as inhaled, and have been identified in the excrement of newborns and adults, it reported.

The breast milk study, published in the journal Polymers, discovered microplastics made of polyethylene, PVC, and polypropylene, all of which are often found in packaging. The researchers were unable to analyse particles smaller than 2 microns in size, and smaller plastic particles are likely to exist. Plastics were not used to collect, store, or analyse the breast milk samples, and control samples were also processed to rule out contamination, the report also said.

While specific microplastic risk factors were not discovered in this short study, Notarstefano said: "We would like to advise pregnant women to pay greater attention to avoiding food and drink packaged in plastic, cosmetics and toothpastes containing microplastics, and clothes made of synthetic fabrics."