Microplastics shape the ecology of the human gastrointestinal intestinal tract
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Microplastic particles are global pollutants which have been measured in drinking water, dust, and some food items. Concerns about population exposures and the resulting risks to human health are increasing. Because the gut can be considered one of the primary sites for microplastic exposure in the human body, here, we explore the possible impact of ingested microplastic particles on gastrointestinal ecology, providing some evidence for their active role as a driver of dysbiotic variation in the human gut microbiome. This further stresses the urgent need to quantitatively assess both oral exposure and hazards of microplastic in the human gut, enabling prediction of the levels of microplastic risk and outcomes of dysbiotic changes in the gut microbiome to be inferred.
Date Issued
2021-12
Date Acceptance
2021-09-01
Citation
Current Opinion in Toxicology, 2021, 28, pp.32-37
ISSN
2468-2020
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
32
End Page
37
Journal / Book Title
Current Opinion in Toxicology
Volume
28
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468202021000498?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
MR/R026521/2
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-09-29