Microplastics and RFK Jr’s brain

There’s no question that microplastics are ubiquitous our planet. Are they a threat to human health? RFK Jr, who is neither a physician nor a scientist, thinks so.

“Reaching for a number to convey the urgency of the problem, he cited research that "reports concentrations [of plastic] in the brain equivalent by mass to roughly a spoonful," a value he said "has gone up by 50 percent since 2016. And inevitably, it's going to go up exponentially if we continue along the same road."

Unlike other claims RFK Jr has made, this one is actually based on a publication in a refereed journal. Unfortunately, the measurement technique is flawed, in that it cannot distinguish microplastics from other natural brain biomolecules. In other words, this is likely an overestimation. A second recent study that used four different measurement techniques found 100-fold less microplastics in the brains they analyzed.

Which study is correct? As we say in the science biz, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. More studies will need to be done to meet that standard. RFK Jr has promised funding for those further studies. Until then, perhaps Bobby Jr can stop with the alarmist claims and wait for the science.

https://www.iflscience.com/rfk-jr-says-you-have-a-spoonful-of-plastic-in-your-brain-but-do-you-really-we-asked-the-experts-83430?fbclid=IwY2xjawRt1bJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExVEZDN1djVnpmMlJXdmJEc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrZKPbkSy9Cc1k5i_UMATZHUNQnmgp4NfOBaD5k0yzXpaEqrGQIayTgl8mK6_aem_StNoGf_oacw1StzJxXih7Q

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