Researchers Warn: IV Drips May Be A Hidden Source of Microplastics
A study has cautioned that medications administered to hospitalized patients might include numerous hazardous plastic particles.
The study, featured in the journal Environment & Health, emerges as concerns intensify regarding the effects of microplastics.
These particles—small pieces resulting from deteriorating plastics—have been discovered in the human brain, liver, heart, and even breast milk. Studies have associated microplastics with various chronic diseases including cancer , heart disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
And now, researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai say they might soon enter the body through an intravenous route.
In hospitals, numerous medications along with fluids and nutrients, are delivered via plastic IV bags.
The researchers purchased two distinct widely used brands of 8.4 oz bags of IV saline solution, which usually serves as the foundation for most injectable drugs. Afterward, they filtrated the liquid from each bag to capture the microplastics present, aiming to quantify their overall amount.
It was discovered that both samples contained pieces from the same material as the bags, indicating that they released microplastics into the solutions.
It was estimated that approximately 7,500 particles were present in each bag and would subsequently be introduced directly into the patient's circulatory system.
In a standard IV drip used to treat dehydration, the researchers argue that this would rise to 25,000 particles. And during abdominal surgery, which requires multiple IV bags, the researchers calculated that this number would surpass 52,000.
However, specialists indicate that the quantity in intravenous bags is significantly less compared to many common daily items.
Studies indicate that plastic water bottles can hold over 200,000 particles of microplastic.
The researchers further caution that the study’s conclusions should not lead patients to shun IV treatments, since the conditions these therapies aim to address pose far greater risks than exposure to microplastics.
Instead, they recommend IV bags are kept away from direct light or heat, in order to limit microplastic shedding. They also suggest that, in future, IV drips could have a filter to remove the majority of the particles.
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