Momentum research on Dutch radio

Following the recent publication of her group, MOMENTUM researcher Marja Lamoree was interviewed by Dutch radio show “Met het Oog op Morgen”. In their recent study, the team confirmed the presence of plastic particles in human blood samples. These results are in line with a previous study from the same group.

Lamoree explains that the average content of 1.1µg of microplastics found in the blood samples is high compared to harmful substances that may be present in blood. Despite this, she emphasises that it has not yet been conclusively shown whether the plastic particles are harmful for human health. Research into this is still ongoing.

The researchers have made great efforts to minimise contamination of the blood samples by plastic particles present in the lab. They didn’t wear plastic clothes and glove, for example, used filtered water, and heated glassware in an oven to burn any potential microplastics. In addition, the team included blank samples, without blood, to check for any traces of microplastics introduced in the lab. If the blank samples contained too much microplastic, the whole series of measurements was redone.

The previous study of Lamoree and her team was met with criticism and disbelief. In that study, the researchers identified the presence of microplastics in human blood for the first time. Some people and organisations didn’t expect that plastic particles could end up in our bodies and didn’t believe the results. This partly motivated the current study and Lamoree is satisfied that her team was able to confirm the prior findings.