Mikroplastik könnte neurodegenerative Erkrankungen wie Alzheimer und Parkinson befeuern, indem es Entzündungen und Schäden im Gehirn auslöst. Es wird geschätzt, dass Erwachsene jedes Jahr 250 Gramm Mikroplastik zu sich nehmen – genug, um einen Teller zu decken.

I’ve linked to the press release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11010-025-05428-3

From the linked article:

A new study highlights five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain.

**Microplastics could be fuelling neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with a new study highlighting five ways microplastics can trigger inflammation and damage in the brain**.

More than 57 million people live with dementia, and cases of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are projected to rise sharply. The possibility that microplastics could aggravate or accelerate these brain diseases is a major public health concern.

Pharmaceutical scientist Associate Professor Kamal Dua, from the University of Technology Sydney, said **it is estimated that adults are consuming 250 grams of microplastics every year – enough to cover a dinner plate**.

“We ingest microplastics from a wide range of sources including contaminated seafood, salt, processed foods, tea bags, plastic chopping boards, drinks in plastic bottles and food grown in contaminated soil, as well as plastic fibres from carpets, dust and synthetic clothing.”

“Common plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate or PET. The majority of these microplastics are cleared from our bodies, however studies show they do accumulate in our organs, including our brains.”

The systematic review, recently published in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, was an international collaboration led by researchers from the University of Technology Sydney and Auburn University in the US.

The researchers highlighted five main pathways through which microplastics can cause harm to the brain, including triggering immune cell activity, generating oxidative stress, disrupting the blood–brain barrier, impairing mitochondria and damaging neurons.

I feel like that, could, is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but it definitely warrants proper investigation.

1/4 of a kg of plastic every year? :/