Scientists have found microplastics in the human penis for the first time, as concerns over the spread of the tiny particles and potential health effects pile up.
Microplastics are pieces of polymer that can be less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) to 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer). Anything smaller is a nanoplastic that should be measured in billionths of a meter. They are formed when large plastics are broken down, either chemically degraded or physically broken into smaller pieces.
Seven different types of microplastics were found in four out of five penile tissue samples taken from five different men as part of a study published Wednesday, June 19, in IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal.
Experts say some of the tiny particles can invade individual cells and tissues in major organs, and evidence is mounting that they are increasingly present in our bodies.
Study lead author Ranjith Ramasamy, who works at the University of Miami, said he used a previous study that found evidence of microplastics in the human heart as the basis for his research.
Ramasamy said he was not surprised to find microplastics in the penis, as it is a “very vascular organ” like the heart.
The samples were taken from study participants who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED) and were hospitalized between August and September 2023 at the University of Miami to undergo surgery for penile implants to treat the condition.
The samples were then analyzed using chemical imaging, which showed that four out of five men had microplastics in their penises.
According to the study, seven different types of microplastics were detected, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) being the most common.
“We need to identify whether microplastics are associated with ED and if there is a level at which it causes pathology and what types of microplastics are pathological,” he told CNN.
As for the wider implications of the findings, Ramasamy said he hopes the study will “raise awareness of the presence of foreign bodies inside human organs and promote further research on the subject.” Will.”
In the past, research has found that one liter of bottled water contains an average of 240,000 plastic particles, the equivalent of two standard-sized bottles of water.
Ramasamy said, “I think we need to be careful about drinking water and food from plastic bottles and containers and try to limit consumption until we identify levels that cause pathology. No further research should be done.”
Toxicologist Matthew J. Kempen added.
“As we're trying to understand the potential health effects of plastics, this is another paper,” said Campion, a Regents' professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, who was not involved in the research.
“Plastics are generally unreactive with our body's cells and chemicals, but they can physically interfere with many of the processes our bodies carry out to function normally, including Functions of the penis and sperm production.”