Neurobiology training faculty member Andrew West has co-authored a study on microplastics in the brain published February 3 in Nature Medicine. In a recent Smithsonian Magazine article citing this study, West was quoted as saying that levels of microplastics found in the human brain have increased in recent years to 'almost unbelievable' levels--as much as 7 grams or a plastic spoon's worth of tiny plastic shards. Surprisingly, much higher levels of microplastics were found in brain tissue than in liver or kidney tissue. And in addition, higher concentrations of microplastics in brain tissue appear to be correlated with dementia.
Read about the study in Nature Medicine.
Read the full article in Smithsonian Magazine.