Microplastics shape the ecology of the human gastrointestinal intestinal tract

Abstract

Microplastic particles are global pollutants which have been measured in drinking water, dust, and some food items. Concerns about population exposures and the resulting risks to human health are increasing. Because the gut can be considered one of the primary sites for microplastic exposure in the human body, here, we explore the possible impact of ingested microplastic particles on gastrointestinal ecology, providing some evidence for their active role as a driver of dysbiotic variation in the human gut microbiome. This further stresses the urgent need to quantitatively assess both oral exposure and hazards of microplastic in the human gut, enabling prediction of the levels of microplastic risk and outcomes of dysbiotic changes in the gut microbiome to be inferred.