JFK jr just spent the week explaining his unfounded positions on Lyme disease and how farm fertilisers cause transgender thoughts and weird vaccine ideas.
But did you know that all of us have been fed a spoon full of plastic that has integrated into our brains? Detectable amount are up 50% in 8 years? Fluoride,.step aside. This sounds bad, right? Or.. it's fine?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-brain-may-contain-as-much-as-a-spoons-worth-of-microplastics-new-research-suggests-180985995/
@wildgrass
We are killing ourselves, slowly, and calling it progress. Any attempt to stop it or even regulate it is shouted down with the seemingly irrefutable objection that this would be an intolerable infringement on freedom to buy whatever you want, and would cause a rise in unemployment. Go figure.
If that doesn’t creep you out, this damn well should:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/19/health/microplastics-human-penises-study-scli-intl-scn-wellness/index.html
@moonbus saidMaybe. But we don't know yet. 😆
@wildgrass
We are killing ourselves, slowly, and calling it progress.
@wildgrass saidNot likely
Maybe it's good for us?
MP exposure was a significant risk factor for endothelial dysfunction and vasculature malformation. Over a short period, contact with PS-MPs at a concentration of 80 μg/mL impaired angiogenesis through mitigation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling pathway, whilst a more prolonged exposure affected cell viability through the activation of autophagy and necrosis in a study you can see here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521003896
@yo-its-me saidHave to be careful with in vitro toxicity data. Generally speaking you ramp up the concentration UNTIL you see something. Otherwise, you cannot publish and your grant doesn't get renewed. 😆
Not likely
MP exposure was a significant risk factor for endothelial dysfunction and vasculature malformation. Over a short period, contact with PS-MPs at a concentration of 80 μg/mL impaired angiogenesis through mitigation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signalling pathway, whilst a more prolonged exposure affected cell viability through the activation of ...[text shortened]... n a study you can see here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691521003896
The whole point of plastic is that it is relatively inert. It doesn't interact with much.
I object to microplastic in the brain as much as the next person, but it may or may not have an effect at the doses we see.
But if it accumulates over a lifetime, at some point something has to happen. And in the at case the elderly would likely manifest first. So look for autopsy studies and see if there are any correlation between micro plastic concentration and lifespan or health issues e.g. date of Alzheimer's onset. 😆
@spruce112358 saidSeems a big risk to be taking, that maybe just maybe microplastics just accumulate but remain inert--given that microplastics have been detected in soils and ground water, even at the bottom of the ocean, and are being ingested by fish and cattle, and thereby ingested by ourselves as well. At the very least, even if the plastic in our bodies remains chemically inert, it is clogging blood vessels, and that's definitely not good.
Have to be careful with in vitro toxicity data. Generally speaking you ramp up the concentration UNTIL you see something. Otherwise, you cannot publish and your grant doesn't get renewed. 😆
The whole point of plastic is that it is relatively inert. It doesn't interact with much.
I object to microplastic in the brain as much as the next person, but it may or may not ...[text shortened]... between micro plastic concentration and lifespan or health issues e.g. date of Alzheimer's onset. 😆
@spruce112358 said
Have to be careful with in vitro toxicity data. Generally speaking you ramp up the concentration UNTIL you see something. Otherwise, you cannot publish and your grant doesn't get renewed. 😆
The whole point of plastic is that it is relatively inert. It doesn't interact with much.
I object to microplastic in the brain as much as the next person, but it may or may not ...[text shortened]... between micro plastic concentration and lifespan or health issues e.g. date of Alzheimer's onset. 😆
I object to microplastic in the brain as much as the next person, but it may or may not have an effect at the doses we see.
Like that one guy who walks around living a happy normal life with a roofing nail jammed into his skull?
There's very little in the form of a control group for this "experiment" and few who would sign up for a clinical trial to implant a plastic spoon in your cerebellum. Of course it lacks causality but one thing that we do know...
We're getting dumber. Maybe take the plastic spoon out of my head and see if that fixes things.
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/research-confirms-it-really-are-getting-dumber.htm
@wildgrass saidSince computers, our brains have been leaking intelligence, which accumulates in nearby electronic devices. That's how we got "smart" phones! 😆I object to microplastic in the brain as much as the next person, but it may or may not have an effect at the doses we see.
Like that one guy who walks around living a happy normal life with a roofing nail jammed into his skull?
There's very little in the form of a control group for this "experiment" and few who would sign up for a clinical trial to impl ...[text shortened]... owstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/research-confirms-it-really-are-getting-dumber.htm
"Another study, performed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, found people could retain and process data significantly better if their smartphones were in another room. Just turning their phone off, or even hiding it in a pocket or bag, didn't work; phone owners still suffered brain drain when their device was nearby."
Science!
@moonbus saidHumans are bad at estimating risk. 😆
Seems a big risk to be taking, that maybe just maybe microplastics just accumulate but remain inert--given that microplastics have been detected in soils and ground water, even at the bottom of the ocean, and are being ingested by fish and cattle, and thereby ingested by ourselves as well. At the very least, even if the plastic in our bodies remains chemically inert, it is clogging blood vessels, and that's definitely not good.
If babies who sucked on plastic bottles had strokes and died because the microplastics clogged their arteries, we would ban all plastic. This has not happened. So the risk is smaller than this.
If human lifespan drops by 25 years and autopies show the deaths are occuring due to plastic accumulation, we will ban all plastic. This also has not happened. So the risk is smaller than this.
If people are dumber because of microplastics as @wildgrass suggests, we first have to ask, "Did these people ever hear Donald Trump speak?" 😆
@spruce112358 saidThe computers are injecting out brains with plastics.
Since computers, our brains have been leaking intelligence, which accumulates in nearby electronic devices. That's how we got "smart" phones! 😆
"Another study, performed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, found people could retain and process data significantly better if their smartphones were in another room. Just turning their phone off, or even h ...[text shortened]... bag, didn't work; phone owners still suffered brain drain when their device was nearby."
Science!
@spruce112358 saidI'm not convinced enough studies have been performed to correctly estimate the incidence of toxicity.
Humans are bad at estimating risk. 😆
If babies who sucked on plastic bottles had strokes and died because the microplastics clogged their arteries, we would ban all plastic. This has not happened. So the risk is smaller than this.
If human lifespan drops by 25 years and autopies show the deaths are occuring due to plastic accumulation, we will ban all plastic. Thi ...[text shortened]... ics as @wildgrass suggests, we first have to ask, "Did these people ever hear Donald Trump speak?" 😆
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@moonbus saidIf we can get the MP to line up will it help with ED??
@wildgrass
We are killing ourselves, slowly, and calling it progress. Any attempt to stop it or even regulate it is shouted down with the seemingly irrefutable objection that this would be an intolerable infringement on freedom to buy whatever you want, and would cause a rise in unemployment. Go figure.
If that doesn’t creep you out, this damn well should:
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/19/health/microplastics-human-penises-study-scli-intl-scn-wellness/index.html
Asking for a friend....
@spruce112358 saidIn mice, microplastics block blood flow to brain (which makes sense).
Since computers, our brains have been leaking intelligence, which accumulates in nearby electronic devices. That's how we got "smart" phones! 😆
"Another study, performed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, found people could retain and process data significantly better if their smartphones were in another room. Just turning their phone off, or even h ...[text shortened]... bag, didn't work; phone owners still suffered brain drain when their device was nearby."
Science!
Blocking blood flow to the brain lowers intelligence (which makes sense).
Intelligence has been decreasing as microplastics have been increasing.
These correlations suggests that a spoonful of microplastics in our brains may be contributing to neurological function.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00178-0