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Brazilian research detects microplastics in placentas and umbilical cords

Brazilian research detects microplastics in placentas and umbilical cords

A groundbreaking study conducted in Maceió, Alagoas, found microplastics in the placentas and umbilical cords of babies born in the capital of Alagoas. This is the first study of its kind conducted in Latin America and the second worldwide to successfully confirm the presence of these particles in umbilical cords. The results were published this Friday, the 25th, in the journal Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences .

"The placenta is a powerful filter. Consider the amount of harmful things in the world, but very few pass through the placenta. So, when the first studies found microplastics in the placenta, we thought it was acting as a barrier. However, among the participants in our study, 8 in 10 had more particles in the umbilical cord than in the placenta, so they pass through in large quantities and reach the babies even before they're born. And this is a snapshot of the end of pregnancy. During the nine months, how much passed through?" highlights Alexandre Urban Borbely, leader of the Women's Health and Pregnancy research group at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and one of the authors of the study.

The team analyzed samples from ten pregnant women at the Professor Alberto Antunes University Hospital and the Dr. Nise da Silveira Women's Hospital in Maceió. They underwent micro-Raman spectroscopy, which can identify the chemical composition of molecules with great precision.

The placenta samples contained 110 microplastic particles, and 119 were found in the umbilical cords. The most common compounds were polyethylene, used in the manufacture of disposable plastic packaging, and polyamide, which is part of the composition of synthetic fabrics .

Borbely has been investigating microplastic contamination during pregnancy since 2021. In 2023, a joint study with researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa confirmed the presence of these particles in placenta samples from Hawaiian women. The research also showed that this contamination has increased over time, with microplastics found in 60% of samples collected in 2006, 90% in 2013, and 100% in 2021.

The partnership continued for the investigation in Maceió, which also received funding from the Alagoas State Research Support Foundation and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ). Although all Brazilian samples were contaminated, they contained fewer chemical additives associated with plastic polymers than the North American samples.

"We sought out women who received care through the Unified Health System (SUS), with a more vulnerable socioeconomic background , because the vast majority of studies are conducted in developed countries. So, we wanted to reflect the reality of our population. And plastics are made from different polymers that vary depending on the location," adds Borbely.

Since microplastics are present even in the air, it's impossible to pinpoint the source of the contamination, but the researcher believes marine pollution plays a major role , as the population of Alagoas consumes a lot of fish and seafood, including filter-feeding mollusks. Another important source is bottled mineral water, which absorbs particles even more rapidly when exposed to sunlight.

The research will now expand the sample collection to 100 pregnant women and seek correlations between microplastic contamination and complications during pregnancy or health problems identified shortly after birth. To this end, the Center of Excellence in Microplastic Research is being established, with funding from the Brazilian Studies and Projects Funding Agency (Finep), part of the Ministry of Science and Technology. According to the researcher, the results are expected to be published in 2027:

"The concern of everyone working in this field today is trying to understand what this contamination is causing, because it's very serious. This entire generation that's coming up is already born exposed to these plastics in the womb. And plastic is somehow forming part of these individuals' bodies from the very beginning."

"An American article published this year showed a link between a specific polymer found in the placenta and cases of prematurity. We published a study with human cells and tissues showing that polystyrene plastics easily cross the placental barrier and cause changes in the placenta's metabolism and the production of free radicals, which is also an indication that it will affect the baby's development," adds Borbely.

For the researcher, these findings raise a collective and political alarm, as individual actions are ineffective in preventing contamination: "Brazil has no regulations for plastic. And the most important thing here is action from above, from the government, to regulate those who produce the plastic: how this production should be handled, how plastics are disposed of, and the implementation of filters in these industries. If we can reduce the impact on the environment, we will consequently reduce what remains in us," he explains.

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