Microplastics in people: scientists call for coordinated testing to resolve debate

Some studies have reported microplastics in human tissues and possible links to health, while analytical chemists have raised methodological concerns about contamination and misidentification; researchers are calling for interlaboratory studies and international, multidisciplinary collaboration to improve methods and reduce uncertainty.

Recent papers have reported microplastics in human tissues and suggested possible links to health outcomes, prompting widespread attention. Analytical specialists, including chemists, have raised concerns about new methods used on biological samples, noting risks of contamination and misidentifying fats as plastics. Clinical researchers acknowledge a steep learning curve and argue some findings are not explained by background contamination alone. Several groups are calling for coordinated interlaboratory studies and international, interdisciplinary collaborations to compare and improve methods, and researchers warn that funding and public trust could be affected if disputes continue. Current issues: - Multiple studies report detecting microplastics in human tissues and sometimes associate them with health measures, but these findings are disputed. - Analytical experts have pointed to possible contamination, misidentification of biological material as plastic, and insufficient laboratory controls in some studies. - Clinical teams say the work is new for biological samples and that methodological improvements are needed as they learn the techniques. - Calls have been made for interlaboratory comparisons and multidisciplinary collaborations, including participation from industry scientists, to harmonise methods. - Researchers express concern that unresolved methodological disputes could be used to sow doubt and may threaten future funding for this research. Summary: Researchers are divided over methods for detecting microplastics in human tissues, and that methodological disagreement has created uncertainty about reported findings and possible health links. Proposed next steps include organised interlaboratory studies and international, interdisciplinary collaborations to validate and standardise methods; the timing and scope of such coordinated efforts are undetermined at this time.