IV drips may contain thousands of dangerous microplastics!!
text_fields
Representational (AI generated).
Health: A new study found that the drip bags used in hospitals for giving IVs to patients may contain thousands of dangerous micro-plastic particles. The study published in Environment & Health claimed that when fluids and nutrients are administered through plastic IV bags, microplastics are also entering the human body. The study said that when microplastics can be ingested, breathed in, or drank in, a very direct entrance channel is available through ingress into the bloodstream, NDTV reported.
Intravenous infusion usually proceeds from plastic bottles. Many are made of polypropylene (PP), and filtering is applied to limit particle contamination, the study said.
Researchers studied two different but common brands of 8.4oz (238 gram) bags of IV saline solution, which were used as the base of any drugs injected. They filtered the liquid to get microplastics. They found that around 7,500 particles floated in each bag, which would have then been injected directly into a patient's bloodstream.
According to them, the count will increase to 25,000 particles if a standard IV drip is used to treat dehydration. When an abdominal surgery is conducted, multiple IV bags are used, and then the number would go beyond 52,000.
On the basis of their findings, scientists say that strict quality control measures were required during the production of IV drips to ensure that insoluble particles such as microplastics did not find their way into the bloodstream of patients.
"Potentially effective measures include the use of highly efficient micrometre- or submicrometer-level filtration systems during intravenous infusion and enhanced monitoring across the medical device and pharmaceutical supply chain to meet stringent safety standards," NDTV quoted the study.
NDTV reports that tiny pieces of plastic smaller than five millimetres have been spotted, ranging from the Mariana Trench to Mount Everest. They are found in human brains as well as the bellies of fishes deep in the ocean. Therefore, scientists call for a declaration of a global emergency since microplastics pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of life on Earth.