Tests on mice have shown that paternal exposure to microplastics can lead to health problems for their offspring, including an increased risk of diabetes among females.
The findings have “implications for humans,” according to the University of California, Riverside, where scientists carried out the tests.
The research is only the latest to illustrate the harms of ingesting tiny particles shed by plastic, which have already been found in various human organs and unborn children.
“Men planning to have children should consider reducing their exposure to harmful substances like microplastics to protect both their health and that of their future children,” the researchers warned.
Published in the Journal Of The Endocrine Society last December, the results showed microplastics alter sperm “cargo,” in turn “contributing to metabolic dysfunction” in newborn mice, with females more likely to feel the effects.
“We found that paternal [microplastics] exposure had sex-specific effects on diet- induced obesity including altered body compositions,” the researchers said, adding that female descendants of males exposed to the plastics showed “exacerbated insulin resistance.”
United States doctors last year found that microplastics are more likely to show up in the placentae of premature babies than those born full-term. – dpa
