Microplastics have been discovered in human penises for the first time, raising concerns about how these contaminants impact people’s sexual health, according to a recent study. Microplastics are particles of less than five millimeters and have been found in human tissues, including lungs, cardiac tissue, and placenta, triggering concerns about health impacts. Researchers analyzed penile tissue samples from five individuals in the study and discovered seven types of microplastics in four of the samples.
“The most prevalent MPs were PET (47.8 percent) and PP (34.7 percent), accounting for about 82 percent of the total amount of MPs,” the study said.
More research is needed to uncover the consequences of microplastics in live bodies given their “capacity to act as a vector for pathogens, as well as induce and be influenced by oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune response,” the study said. According to the authors, this is the “first study to our knowledge to identify the presence of MPs within penile tissue.” Researchers in the study point out that microplastics are “commonly thought to enter the human body through ingestion and inhalation.
” Studies have proposed that microplastics smaller than 150 micrometers “may have the potential to migrate from the gut cavity to the lymph and circulatory system, leading to systemic exposure.” In the study, 84 percent of the microplastic samples measured 20 to 100 micrometers, well below the 150 micrometer thresh.
