Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic are produced and used around the world.
This huge amount of plastic pollutes beaches, rivers, and even the deepest parts of the ocean—up to 11,000 meters down.
But plastic doesn’t just hurt the environment. It also contributes to climate change, producing 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases each year. Scientists are also finding that plastic use can affect human health.
Tiny plastic particles, known as microplastics, break off from items like curtains, furniture, clothing, and other plastic products.
These particles can float in the air, dissolve in water, stick to food, and get into the human body through the skin, lungs, or digestive system. Microplastics have now been discovered in the brain, blood, placenta, breast milk, and even bones.
A recent study, published in the journal *Osteoporosis International*, looked at 62 scientific papers and found that microplastics can damage our bones in several ways. One important way is by harming stem cells in bone marrow.
These cells usually help repair and build bone. But when affected by microplastics, they turn into osteoclasts—special cells that break down bone tissue. This process is called bone resorption.
Rodrigo Bueno de Oliveira, a researcher at the State University of Campinas in Brazil, explains that microplastics may speed up bone cell aging, reduce cell health, change how cells develop, and increase inflammation.
In animal studies, the researchers found that bones grew poorly and became deformed. Some animals even stopped growing entirely, which is very concerning.
The long-term effects of microplastics on bone strength are still being studied. However, researchers suspect that having microplastics in the bloodstream might weaken bones over time. One especially worrying finding is that these particles can reach deep into bones, even into the marrow, and disrupt how bones function.
To explore this idea further, Oliveira and his team are starting a new study. They will use animal models to test how microplastics affect bone strength, focusing on the femur (thigh bone).
The International Osteoporosis Foundation warns that bone fractures related to osteoporosis are increasing globally as the population ages. By 2050, the number of these fractures is expected to go up by 32%.
We already know that regular exercise, healthy eating, and medication can help keep bones strong. But this new research could help uncover another piece of the puzzle: microplastics.
If these tiny plastic particles are harming our bones, we may need to treat them as a controllable environmental risk factor—something we can potentially change to prevent future health problems.
Understanding how microplastics affect our bodies, especially our bones, could be key to reducing bone fractures and improving quality of life as we age.
The study is published in Osteoporosis International.
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