The occurrence of microplastics in nature has been
studied extensively, also at the University of Eastern Finland.
However, little is known about the health effects of microplastics,
and understanding of their transport into the human body is also
lacking. Any adverse health effects possibly associated with
plastics may be caused by the plastic compound itself, or by the
environmental toxins it carries. Many known fat-soluble
environmental toxins and heavy metals are known to be able to
attach to the surface of small plastic particles. This is why it is
important to investigate the transport mechanisms of microplastics
into the human body. However, not enough research methods have been
developed for the study of this transport. Another key challenge in
microplastics research is the lack of standardized
methods.
