According to an American scientific study, there are ten times more microplastic beads in the stools of babies than in those of adults.
An alarming discovery. Scientists at the New York University School of Medicine recently discovered that there is a high concentration of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – otherwise known as plastics – in babies’ stools, up to ten times higher. than in those of adults, reports the site Wired. The endocrine disruptors contained in these plastic substances could have serious effects on the health of children, promote the appearance of cancer, cause hormonal and neurological disorders. A bit like bisphenol A, which was found in baby bottles, and which has since been banned in France.
How can babies absorb so much plastic? And above all, why so much more than adults? Quite simply because they are very exposed to it, in all stages of their development, from meals to awakening moments. It is found in their bottles, in the containers of their prepared meals, in their diapers, in their clothes, in the coating of their play mats, in their toys… The list goes on. Babies, moreover, tend to put everything in their mouths to discover the world, this explains the large amount of microplastics found in their intestines and then, logically, in their stools.
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Plastics found in the meconium of newborns
To arrive at these results, researchers at the New York University School of Medicine analyzed the contents of the diapers of six one-year-old children, the meconium composition of three newborns, as well as that of stool samples from adults. Small amounts of plastics were found in scans of newborns, meaning they had absorbed it while in their mother’s womb.
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“I really believe these chemicals affect the early stages of a child’s life. It’s a very vulnerable time.”, commented Kurunthachalam Kannan, specialist in environmental health and co-author of the study, to the site Wired. More research is needed to determine the real impact of PET substances on children’s health in the short, medium and long term.