REVIEW PAPER
Microplastics – why are they everywhere within the body and where do they come from? A review
 
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1
7th Navy Hospital, Gdańsk, Poland
 
2
Provincial Specialized Hospital in Olsztyn, Poland
 
3
Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration with the Warmia-Mazury Oncology Center, Olsztyn, Poland
 
4
University Clinical Center in Gdańsk, Poland
 
These authors had equal contribution to this work
 
 
Submission date: 2026-01-28
 
 
Final revision date: 2026-03-24
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-04-09
 
 
Online publication date: 2026-04-16
 
 
Corresponding author
Judyta Bordakiewicz   

7th Navy Hospital, Polanki 117, 80-305 Gdańsk, Poland
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in nearly all environmental compartments. The crucial routes of human exposure include the indoor environment, where the concentration of airborne fibers is higher than outdoors, the consumption of contaminated food, and contact with cookware, medical equipment, and personal care products made from or containing plastic. Depending on how MPs enter the body, through ingestion, inhalation, or dermal contact, they can reach a variety of organs. In this study, we focus on the detection of MPs and their consequences in several organs, which have not been sufficiently described in literature before, including the kidneys, placenta, testes, heart, brain, bone marrow, and in bodily secretions, namely semen and breast milk. To ensure the most accurate and up-to-date data, the presented results are based on papers published within the past three years. Experimental and clinical studies link exposure to MPs to oxidative stress, inflammation, dysbiosis, mitochondrial damage, fibrosis, and potential carcinogenic and neurotoxic effects. These mechanisms, occurring in the aforementioned tissues, raise concerns regarding fertility, fetal development, metabolic health, and neurodegeneration. However, further improvements in detection of MPs and contamination prevention methods are needed to minimize the potential health risks associated with exposure.
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