- NEWS FEATURE
Plastics have infiltrated every recess of the planet, including your lungs, kidneys and other sensitive organs. Scientists are scrambling to understand their effects on health.
Illustration: Ibrahim Rayintakath
A sliver of human brain in a small vial starts to melt as lye is added to it. Over the next few days, the caustic chemical will break down the neurons and blood vessels within, leaving behind a grisly slurry containing thousands of tiny plastic particles.
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Nature 638, 311-313 (2025)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00405-8
References
Nihart, A. J. et al. Nature Med. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1 (2025).
Huang, H. et al. Sci. Adv. 11, eadr8243 (2025).
Chartres, N. et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58, 22843–22864 (2024).
Marfella, R. et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 390, 900–910 (2024).
Liang, Y. et al. Environ. Pollut. 342, 122909 (2024).
Wang, G., Lin, Y. & Shen, H. Mol. Neurobiol. 61, 900–907 (2024).
Hu, C. J. et al. Toxicol. Sci. 200, 235–240 (2024).
Fournier, S. B. et al. Part. Fibre Toxicol. 17, 55 (2020).
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