Microplastics Could Cross Over From Mother to Fetus, Study Shows

The authors of a peer-reviewed study showing microplastics passed pregnant rats’ intestinal and placental barriers, leading to impaired fetal development, concluded the same could be true for humans.

The study, published in Nanomaterials, is the first to show that microplastics fed to pregnant mammals can reach fetal tissues.

Researchers fed five pregnant rats specially marked nanoscale microplastics. Through imaging, they determined the particles permeated the placentas. They detected particles in the livers, kidneys, hearts, lungs and brains of the fetuses.