MEN have been dealt double blow in health news this week. Scientists have found microplastics in penises for the first time, while a stealthy STI could be linked to male infertility. Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic, often so small they can't be detected with the naked eye.
A a result of plastic in industrial waste and consumer goods breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces, these particles make their way into food, water supplies and even into the air. Specs of plastic debris were discovered in the penile tissue of five men undergoing erectile dysfunction surgery. Seven different types of microplastics were identified in 80 per cent of the samples, with some fragments measuring two micrometres - two thousandths of a millimetre.
Scientists labelled their discovery as "concerning" and said it raised questions about microplastics' potential role in erectile dysfunction. "The detection of microplastics in penile tissue raises inquiries on the ramifications of environmental pollutants on sexual health ," they said. Previous research has identified microplastics in the lungs and blood, as well as men's testes and semen.
Researchers behind the most recent study - published to the journal IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal - said the penis could be particularly vulnerable to contamination with microplastics due to high blood flow during erections. Dr Ranjith Ramasamy, co-author of the study and former director of reproductive urology at the University of Miami, said:.
