Rhonda Patrick: Microplastics Generate Damaging Free Radicals Simply by Contacting Water
Rhonda Patrick, Co-Founder of FoundMyFitness Science Podcast, shared a post on X about a recent article by Naixin Qian et al., published in Nature, adding:
“Microplastics can generate damaging free radicals simply by coming into contact with water.
This activity was found across six common plastics, including polyethylene and polypropylene. No sunlight or added catalyst was needed!
The particles also promoted protein aggregation and damaged red blood cells in mouse experiments.
That adds a new dimension to findings I’ve discussed previously, including the association between micro- and nanoplastics in plaque and a greater risk of cardiovascular events.
These new experiments don’t establish the risk from everyday exposure, but they reveal a mechanism by which microplastics can exert their biological effects. The surface where plastic meets water can itself become a site of damaging chemistry.”
Title: Intrinsic physicochemical activity at microplastic–water interfaces
Authors: Naixin Qian, Ruoqi Zhao, Kwing Yeung Chan, Vinh Gia Vuong, Xin Gao, Zhilun Zhao, R. Allen LaCour, Yifan Dai, Phoebe A. Stapleton, Beizhan Yan, Teresa Head-Gordon, Wei Min
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