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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damian Carrington Environment editor

Microplastics in placentas linked to premature births, study suggests

an adult hand holds the foot of a small premature baby who is lying in an incubator
Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant death worldwide. Photograph: Photodisc/Getty Images

A study has found microplastic and nanoplastic pollution to be significantly higher in placentas from premature births than in those from full-term births.

The levels were much higher than previously detected in blood, suggesting the tiny plastic particles were accumulating in the placenta. But the higher average levels found in the shorter pregnancies were a “big surprise” for the researchers, as longer terms could be expected to lead to more accumulation.

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