Eat right, exercise, get adequate sleep, manage your stress, avoid smoking and limit alcohol — these are some of the recommendations men receive to maintain a healthy <keyword id="20687206" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sperm-count" source="keywords">sperm count</keyword>. But what if, even after following all this advice, the sperm count gets affected due to the nature of the world we live in?<br /><br />A new study has discovered <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword> in <keyword id="21759251" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="human-testicles" source="Orion">human testicles</keyword>, raising concerns about their potential link to <keyword id="21759246" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="declining-sperm-counts" source="keywords">declining sperm counts</keyword> in men.<br /><br />Researchers tested 23 human testes and 47 testes from pet dogs. After dissolving the tissue samples and analysing the plastic remnants, they found <keyword id="21759247" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastic-pollution" source="keywords">microplastic pollution</keyword> in every single sample!<br /><br />The human <keyword id="21742117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="testicles" source="keywords">testicles</keyword> exhibited a plastic concentration nearly three times higher than that found in dog testes: 330 micrograms per gram of tissue compared to 123 micrograms. Polyethylene, commonly used in plastic bags and bottles, was the most prevalent microplastic found, followed by PVC.<br /><br />PVC is known to release chemicals that interfere with spermatogenesis and contains substances that disrupt the endocrine system, which produces and regulates hormones crucial for numerous bodily functions, including growth, metabolism and reproduction.<br /><br />Furthermore, the human testes analysed were obtained from postmortems conducted in 2016, with the men aged between 16 and 88 at the time of their deaths. Given the increased <keyword id="19970182" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic-pollution" source="keywords">plastic pollution</keyword> since then, researchers are particularly concerned about its impact on younger generations.<br /><br />While the preserved human testicles couldn’t have their sperm counts measured, the dog testes—obtained from veterinary neutering operations—were assessable. Findings showed lower sperm counts in samples with higher PVC contamination. While this shows a correlation, further research is needed to definitively prove that microplastics cause declining sperm counts.<br /><br />In addition to testicles, microplastics have also recently been found in human blood, placentas and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of human bodies. Laboratory studies have shown that microplastics can damage human cells. Moreover, these particles might lodge in tissues and cause inflammation, while the chemicals in plastics could be harmful as well. In March, doctors warned of life-threatening effects, noting a significantly increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and early death in people with contaminated blood vessels.<br /><br />Microplastics have already polluted the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. Therefore, their presence in the innermost parts of the human body, while alarming, is not entirely surprising. The challenge now is to contain this damage and prevent it from worsening, which is easier said than done given the pervasive role of plastic in the modern way of life.<br /><br />The study was published in the journal <em>Toxicological Sciences</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/advance-article/doi/10.1093/toxsci/kfae060/7673133">here</a>.<br />

Plastic testes: Scientists analyse human testicles, find microplastics in every single one of them!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Microplastics were just found in testicles.</li><li>That's alarming because testes, like brains, have a special blood barrier.</li></ul><p>In 2024, microplastics are starting to look a lot like cigarettes did in the early 1960s: A poorly-understood health hazard in dire need of better study and regulation.</p><p>The latest bad news on microplastics and human health emerged last week, when a study from <a target="_blank" href="https://hsc.unm.edu/news/2024/05/hsc-newsroom-post-microplastics-testicular.html">researchers</a> at the University of New Mexico examined 47 canine and 23 human testes, taken from neutering operations and cadavers, respectively. All of those testicles had microplastics inside — there were 12 different kinds of microplastic inside the organs studied, including the common plastic making material that plastic silverware and plastic bottles are made from.</p><p>"It does strike me as kind of 'eww,'" Tracey Woodruff, who directs the program on reproductive health and the environment at the University of California San Francisco, and who was not involved in the study, told Business Insider.</p><p>Woodruff isn't exactly surprised that microplastics are showing up in testicles. They've already been found in our bloodstream, and in other human organs such as the liver, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-risks-heart-attack-stroke-study-2024-3">heart</a>, and the lungs. In March, a New England Journal of Medicine study even suggested microplastics lodged into blood vessels in our necks might be playing a role in heart attack and stroke risk. And microplastics had already been found in <a target="_blank" href="https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfae021">testes</a> in one 2023 Chinese study. In fact, in a rapid, systematic <a target="_blank" href="https://prhe.ucsf.edu/press-release/microplastics-can-harm-human-health-and-existing-national-policy-responses-are">review</a> of 2,000 microplastic research papers that Woodruff did for California legislators last year, she and her team found that microplastics can harm the reproductive health of both men and women, while also upping cancer risk, and hurting lungs.</p><p>But Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, an expert in reproductive urology, says if it's true that microplastics are invading testicles, that's of extra concern.</p><p>"The only two organs in the human body that are protected spaces are the testes and the brain," he told BI. "I think we need to first study the question of how microplastics even got there in the first place."</p><h2 id="c6bff6db-f818-40a3-904d-d403fe756271">The testicles, like the brain, have a special blood barrier that stuff isn't supposed to get through</h2><div type="image" title="human brain" height="1478" width="2028" msid="110284248" hostid="261"></div><p>It makes sense that microplastics might flow into organs like the heart or the kidneys. Microplastics come from all kinds of things we consume and breathe in, including dust, food containers, makeup, and water bottles.</p><p>Small particles consumed through your mouth flow to your gut, then enter your bloodstream, and invade all corners of the body, from the lungs to the liver. But getting into a woman's ovaries, which are "soaked in blood" and located inside the body should be easier than invading a man's testicle, Ramasamy said.</p><p>"I am shocked," he said.</p><p>To get into the brain or the testicles requires surmounting an extra tough hurdle, that special blood barrier.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10141840/">Early</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/science-technology/turkish-study-identifies-microplastics-in-brain-cells/3197206">studies</a> are starting to suggest that microplastics do have the capacity to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1041233">penetrate</a> the blood-brain barrier, though. And if the results of this new testicle study hold true in other labs, it would be a damning sign that the same is true for mens' testes.</p><p>Still, Ramasamy cautions that we need to understand much more about what's really going on with all the microplastics in our bodies, and precisely how they are impacting our health, before we start pointing to plastic ingestion as the most important reason for fertility issues in modern-day society.</p><p>"Before we start alarming everybody saying, 'you're drinking too much from plastics and that's why your fertility is going down.' I think we just need to be a little bit cautious," he said. "Do microplastics play a role as an environmental toxin? I 100% agree. But does it play a role by entering inside the testes and blocking sperm production? That I don't know."</p><h2 id="3e061287-633e-4a06-b733-2de9795ba913">Scientists don't understand why microplastics are bad — but they are urging regulators to step in</h2><div type="image" title="Woman drinking water from a bottle." height="1413" width="2123" msid="110284249" hostid="261"></div><p>Scientists know that certain chemicals inside <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/endocrine-disruptors-dangerous-chemicals-2019-1">plastic disrupt our hormones</a>.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/what-is-bpa">Chemicals like BPA</a> are colloquially known as "hormone-disrupting" chemicals, and plastic makers are developing new ones all the time. In addition to the specific chemicals that are used to make a plastic, there may also be physical issues to worry about with plastic ingestion.</p><p>In this study, men had three times the amount of microplastic in their testicles as dogs. Does that matter? We don't really know.</p><p>"I don't think the amount is as important as the types that are found and the potential damage that it can cause," Ramasamy said.</p><p>Is having plastic floating around in your bloodstream problematic because of the chemicals we're being exposed to within it, which can include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bpa-plastic-containers-bad-health-risks-obesity-heart-disease-diabetes-2019-2">known toxins like PFAS</a>, or does it cause issues because it's getting stuck in places it shouldn't be? The answer to these scientific questions is probably pretty complicated, experts say.</p><p>"What we're seeing now is that these microplastics are a vehicle for these chemicals, which we know are toxic, and they also themselves could be toxic," Woodruff said.</p><p>This is why she is in favor of regulating plastics much like we do air pollutants.</p><p>"We have a real opportunity here to address microplastics and plastics right now," she said. "Plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, but we don't have to do that — we don't have to have more plastic."</p><h2 id="380defc4-c7ea-47d1-b063-a0c26e3b081a">One thing experts agree on: you should stop microwaving your plastic</h2><div type="image" title="microwave TV dinner in black plastic" height="1713" width="1750" msid="110284250" hostid="261"></div><p>Experts BI spoke with all agreed that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-pfas-in-water-and-food-2019-8">microwaving less plastic</a> is a good idea.</p><p>"Drinking from it is one thing, but heating them and eating from it or drinking from it, I think it's definitely wrong," Ramasamy said.</p><p>The reason scientists get so bent out of shape about microwaving plastic is because when plastic gets heated up, it becomes much easier for the chemicals in the plastic to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reduce-hazardous-forever-chemicals-exposure-pfas-at-home-2022-9">leech out</a> and get absorbed by the body.</p><p>Certainly, Ramasamy said, environmental pollutants — including microplastics — are one reason for declining fertility.</p><p>"I always ask the question, did our parents use the amount of plastics that we do today?" he said. "The answer is absolutely not."</p><p>Interestingly, men over the age of 55 in the new study didn't have as much microplastic in their system as younger men did.</p><p>Even "greener" looking takeout containers these days, like cardboard boxes, are often built with a special plastic coating inside so liquid doesn't seep out. So, try to put your food on a ceramic or glass plate or in a real bowl when you can.</p><p>Woodruff says trying to drink from fewer plastic bottles, washing your hands before you eat, and leaving your shoes at the door are all good practices for minimizing exposure too.</p>

Microplastics have been found in human testicles. Now what?

The way <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword> and <keyword id="20128857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nanoplastics" source="keywords">nanoplastics</keyword> have found a way to wriggle into every nook and cranny on Earth, they’ve also made their way into the human body. From human placentas to testicles, these pesky pollutants are everywhere! And earlier this year, scientists also found microplastics in the gunk that clogs your arteries. <em>Yep</em>.<br /><br />Their <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822?logout=true">research</a> focused on 257 people undergoing a procedure to remove fatty deposits, called plaques, from their neck arteries. These plaques can narrow the arteries, restricting blood flow and potentially leading to <keyword id="21413421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cardiovascular-events" source="keywords">cardiovascular events</keyword>. Researchers examined the removed <keyword id="20594094" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="plaque" source="keywords">plaque</keyword> material and found a surprising result: over half (58%) contained microplastics and even smaller nanoparticles.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="110327795" title="Plastic testes: Scientists analyse human testicles, find microplastics in every single one of them!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>But the presence of plastic wasn't the only red flag. Participants with plastic in their plaques also had higher levels of inflammatory markers. Inflammation plays a crucial role in plaque buildup and blood clot formation, both major contributors to heart attacks and strokes.<br /><br />Furthermore, the study followed these participants for nearly three years after their plaque removal. Worryingly, those with plastic in their plaques were 4.5 times more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or death compared to those without plastic.<br /><br />However, it's important to remember that this study doesn't definitively prove microplastics cause <keyword id="19898369" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heart-disease" source="keywords">heart disease</keyword>. The participants with plastic in their plaques were also more likely to have other established risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes.<br /><br /><h2>Experts weigh in</h2>Since microplastics are a relatively recent thing in the long history of humanity, scientists are still scratching the surface of the implications of plastic in the human body. In the meantime, many continue to believe that when they aren’t strangulating turtles or taking 500 years to decompose, plastics are nifty little things.<br /><br />However, the findings of this study throws a big class of cold water on these beliefs. While the study can't establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, researchers believe it highlights a potential new risk factor that deserves further investigation. Previous studies on animals and human cells have already hinted at the potential harm microplastics can cause to the heart and circulatory system.<br /><br />Professor Bryan Williams of the British Heart Foundation finds the findings "concerning." He emphasises the importance of this research, suggesting <keyword id="19970182" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic-pollution" source="keywords">plastic pollution</keyword> may be harming our hearts in ways we haven't fully understood.<br /><br /><h2>The bottom line</h2>The study has limitations. It focused on a relatively small group with pre-existing arterial narrowing, so the results may not be applicable to the general population. Additionally, it's difficult to completely rule out contamination during plaque analysis.<br /><br />More recently, another <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389424004345">study</a> conducted by Chinese researchers also found plastics like <keyword id="19953017" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pet" source="keywords">PET</keyword>, followed by PA, <keyword id="20137591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pvc" source="keywords">PVC</keyword> and PE in three types of arteries, and linked it to the risk of atherosclerosis.<br /><br />While more research is undoubtedly needed, these studies raise important questions about the potential health risks of microplastics. Completely avoiding plastic exposure might be challenging, but there are well-established ways to reduce your risk of heart disease. These include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and managing blood pressure and cholesterol.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="108573451" title="Microplastics may pose risk to Indo-Gangetic plain: Study" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />

Microplastics are clogging your arteries — and possibly increasing your risk of heart disease

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="21868010" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Victoria-Ou" source="keywords">Victoria Ou</keyword> and <keyword id="21868011" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Justin-Huang" source="keywords">Justin Huang</keyword>, both 17, won $50,000 for their <keyword id="21868009" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastic-filtration-device" source="Orion">microplastic filtration device</keyword>.</li><li>They tested a new technique using <keyword id="21403320" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ultrasound" source="keywords">ultrasound</keyword> to filter <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword> from water.</li></ul>Two teenagers from Woodlands, Texas invented a device that could help address one of the most pervasive and challenging forms of pollution on Earth: microplastics.<br /><br />These microscopic plastic particles show up in the deepest parts of the ocean, at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mount-everest-summit-microplastics-study-national-geographic-2020-11">top of Mount Everest</a>, and are in everything from the dust in your home to your food and water.<br /><br />By some estimates, we each inhale and ingest a credit card's worth of plastic per week. Thenit can end up in our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-living-human-lungs-for-the-first-time-2022-4">lungs</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-discovered-in-human-blood-for-the-first-time-2022-3">blood</a>, breastmilk, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5">testicles</a>.<br /><br />Victoria Ou and Justin Huang, both 17, hope to prevent that one day with their award-winning device that removes microplastics from water using ultrasonic — or high-frequency — sound waves.<br /><br />Ou and Huang presented their work at last week's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-wins-isef-science-fair-grand-prize-discovery-biomedical-devices-2024-5">Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair</a> (ISEF) in Los Angeles, where top competitors from science fairs worldwide congregated to share their projects and compete for $9 million in prizes.<br /><br />The Texas duo received first place in their Google-sponsored category, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and they also snagged the $50,000 prize from the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="Victoria Ou and Justin Huang stand with their arms raised wearing giant gold medals around their necks" height="839" width="1259" msid="110377857" hostid="261"></div>Though the ultrasonic technique is in its very early stages, the high schoolers hope that one day it could filter the plastic out of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nanoplastics-water-bottle-micro-plastics-bloodsteam-tiny-pieces-plastic-2024-1">your drinking water</a> and from the industrial and wastewater that humans dump into the environment.<br /><br />"This is the first year we've done this," Huang told Business Insider backstage after receiving their award. "If we could refine this — maybe use more professional equipment, maybe go to a lab instead of testing from our home — we could really improve our device and get it ready for large-scale manufacturing."<br /><br />While it's unclear how <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/you-are-consuming-microplastics-how-much-what-to-know-risks-2022-4">microplastics affect human health</a>, many common chemicals in plastic have been linked to increased risk of cancer, fertility and development issues, and hormone disruption. And we're still a long way from getting rid of microplastics.<br /><br /><h2>The challenge of filtering microplastics</h2>  <div type="image" title="White microplastic beads inside a black container under a microscope" height="683" width="1024" msid="110377858" hostid="261"></div>Last fall, while <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isef-science-fair-parents-mistake-pressure-2024-5">brainstorming ideas</a> for their ISEF project, Ou and Huang visited a water treatment plant. They wanted to find out whether this type of facility already had tools that could remove microplastics from wastewater.<br /><br />The answer, they discovered, was no. The EPA doesn't regulate microplastics, the employees told Huang and Ou, so they don't remove them from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-carry-stomach-viruses-in-fresh-water-for-days-study-2022-6">wastewater</a>.<br /><br />"We knew, from then, to focus on this issue," Huang told BI.<br /><br />Even if the EPA began regulating these pernicious plastic particles tomorrow, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-water-pollution-solution-from-google-2019-8">existing removal methods</a> have problems, Huang said.<br /><br />One solution is to use chemical coagulants, such as aluminum hydroxide, that — when added to water — clump microplastics together into larger, more easily filtered chunks. However, chemical coagulants can also pollute the environment and mess with the PH of purified water. Plus, they're expensive.<br /><br />There are also some physical filters available, but they clog easily. And biological solutions, like using enzymes to break down plastics, aren't efficient enough to tackle this problem at scale.<br /><br />"We wanted to find a solution to this because current solutions aren't really effective," Huang said.<br /><br />So, Ou and Huang — who have been friends since elementary school and connected over their shared interest in the environment — set out to invent their own environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and efficient solution.<br /><br /><h2>How it works</h2>  <div type="image" title="Victoria Ou and Justin Huang stand in front of their science fair poster holding a small device in their hands that they invented" height="667" width="1000" msid="110377861" hostid="261"></div>Huang and Ou's device is remarkably small, about the size of a pen. It's essentially a long tube with two stations of electric transducers that use ultrasound to act as a two-step filter.<br /><br />As water flows through the device, the ultrasound waves generate pressure, which pushes microplastics back while allowing the water to continue flowing forward, Ou explained. What comes out the other end is clean, microplastic-free water.<br /><br />The two teens tested their device on three common types of microplastics: polyurethane, polystyrene, and polyethylene. In a single pass, their device can remove between 84% and 94% of <keyword id="7791833" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastics-in-water" source="Orion">microplastics in water</keyword>, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.societyforscience.org/press-release/high-schoolers-win-more-than-9-million-at-regeneron-isef-2024/">press release</a>.<br /><br /><h2>Future work</h2>  <div type="image" title="Victoria Ou and Justin Huang stand back to back wearing a black and blue suit" height="1667" width="2500" msid="110377862" hostid="261"></div><br />Ou and Huang believe their technology could be used in wastewater treatment plants, industrial textile plants, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chicago-cleans-billion-gallons-wastewater-every-day-2024-4" target="_blank">sewage treatment plants</a>, and rural water sources. On a smaller scale, it could filter microplastics in laundry machines and even fish tanks.<br /><br />But first, there's more work to be done. "To reach that stage, I think we need a lot more processing," Ou said. "This is a pretty new approach. We only found one study that was trying to use ultrasound to predict the flow of particles in water, but it didn't completely filter them out yet." The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138358662200209X" target="_blank">study</a> that inspired the two teens was by New Mexico Tech researchers and published in the peer-reviewed journal Separation and Purification Technology in 2022.<br /><br />In another 2023 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383586623006056?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">study</a>, researchers at Shinshu University tested a similar ultrasound-filtering method to remove microplastics from water. But Ou and Huang say their device is simpler, more efficient, and the first to use ultrasound to block and filter microplastics directly.<br /><br />Their technique uses ultrasonic waves to create a pressure wall that blocks microplastics and allows water to flow through, whereas the Shinshu study focused the microplastics into a beam that must then be collected separately, which requires more steps, more infrastructure, and didn't filter as much water.<br /><br />"I hope we just are able to be able to scale this up, but first we have to refine it because this technology is still at its infancy," Huang said.<br /><br />Their $50,000 prize could help them get there. In the meantime, though, they're enjoying the moment.<br /><br />"We were just happy being able to go to ISEF. Originally, we weren't expecting too much, but getting first place and the top award is much more than we ever expected," Ou said.<br /><br />"This is something that I've been dreaming of my whole life, so I'm still pinching myself trying to figure out if this is real or not," Huang said.<br /><br /><em>Correction — May 29, 2024: An earlier version of this story misstated the novelty of Ou and Huang's invention. Ou and Huang are not the first to successfully use ultrasound to separate microplastics from water. Previous studies have tested similar methods.</em><br />

2 teens won $50,000 for inventing a device that can filter toxic microplastics from water

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A small study of men with erectile dysfunction found microplastics hiding in most of their penises.</li><li>An older man with a traditional lifestyle was the only one who didn't have microplastic in his penis.</li></ul><p>When scientists first started murmuring about a striking connection between more <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5">microplastics</a> and more <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-risks-heart-attack-stroke-study-2024-3">heart attacks</a>, Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy's mind immediately traveled further south, to another blood-pumping organ, one that he knows very well.</p><p>"Penis being such a vascular organ, similar to the heart, we said, 'Hey, could this also be present in the penis?'"</p><p>Ramasamy, a reproductive urology specialist who has conducted penile implant surgeries in Miami for many years, wondered how the microplastics that we inadvertently inhale from everyday items including food, water bottles, and household dust, might impact fertility and verility in men.</p><p>What he's found, while still preliminary, is that microplastics are present in some penises experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED).</p><h2 id="d10e2f89-ecd2-42ac-a0b3-26bd0bbf4c43"><strong>Microplastics were found in 80% of penises with ED in this small study</strong></h2><div type="image" title="plastic bottles" height="1473" width="2035" msid="111097982" hostid="261" sizebytes="323382"></div><p>Ramasamy's first-of-its-kind study, just released in the International Journal of Impotence Research, was a small, pilot sample of six men, all with ED, each one undergoing surgery to insert a penile implant.</p><p>While the study is still preliminary, it's part of a growing body of research that finds microplastics are present everywhere in the human body that researchers have looked so far.</p><p>It's also one of the first studies to study a connection between impotence and more plastic use. Other studies have already suggested there <a target="_blank" href="https://healthymale.org.au/health-article/do-plastics-our-food-and-environment-affect-male-fertility">may be some link</a> between our plastic modern existence and lower-quality sperm. Ramasamy wanted to know whether microplastics might physically impact penis muscle function.</p><p>At the start of each surgery, Ramasamy carefully extracted some tissue from deep inside the shaft of the penis — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/corpus-spongiosum">an area that's responsible for</a> making and sustaining erections. He and his team worked to ensure there was no plastic contamination in the surgery rooms by using non-plastic surgical instruments and collecting the tissue in glass containers. They then whisked the tissue off to two separate labs for analysis.</p><p>Scientists found microplastics present in five of the six penises they sampled. The most abundant plastic in the penises was polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a common plastic used in food packaging including plastic bottles and takeout containers. They also found polypropylene, which is used to make plastic bottle caps.</p><h2 id="b12a6895-c0f9-4901-829a-51b66a3af1b1"><strong>We are gobbling up more plastics than ever, and learning more about the effects</strong></h2><div type="image" title="takeout food" height="1414" width="2121" msid="111097983" hostid="261" sizebytes="223084"></div><p>We don't know how much plastic might be hiding out in the penises of men without ED and can't take much away from such a small initial study.</p><p>Still, this research goes hand in hand with what other microplastics experts are discovering.</p><p>We are <a target="_blank" href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c00010">consuming more plastic</a> than ever before. In several <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822?logout=true">recent</a> microplastic <a target="_blank" href="https://hsc.unm.edu/news/2024/05/hsc-newsroom-post-microplastics-testicular.html">studies</a>, younger men have had more microplastic in them than older men.</p><p>The one man in this study who didn't have any detectable microplastics in his penis "leads a very traditional, Cuban guy elderly lifestyle," Ramasamy said. "He said he doesn't use a lot of plastics."</p><p>He's not getting a lot of the takeout that often comes in plastic-lined containers, and he's not drinking from plastic-lined coffee cups or plastic water bottles very often. In other words, without trying, he's doing most of the things that microplastic researchers recommend to people hoping to reduce their risk of any potential microplastic-related health issues: avoiding drinking and eating from plastic, and never microwaving plastic containers.</p><p>This finding has given Ramasamy pause. He has become much more wary of drinking from plastic water bottles since completing this study, and he tries to always put his food on a real plate now before he re-heats it, instead of microwaving plastic tubs. He knows it's still unclear what contribution microplastics might be making to infertility and low sperm quality, but he's got a hunch there's probably some contribution, on some level.</p><p>"As convenient as society has become, I think we're facing some of these harms," he said. "I don't think our parents were exposed to as much: They were not drinking water out of plastic bottles — they were certainly not doing as much takeout."</p><h2 id="6c081f96-1909-4cea-8163-d7d04064973c"><strong>Could microplastics be interfering with important penis muscles?</strong></h2><div type="image" title="penis enlargement" height="1414" width="2121" msid="111098040" hostid="261" sizebytes="381844"></div><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5">Microplastics</a> have traveled to almost every corner of the body that scientists have looked at so far, including lungs, livers, blood vessels, penises, and brains, as well as fluids including semen, blood, and placentas. Just last month, researchers at the University of New Mexico found microplastics in testicles, <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36948312/">cementing the idea</a> that microplastics can penetrate the body's protective blood-testes barrier. What these tiny bits of plastic are doing to our bodies remains an open question.</p><p>Richard Pilsner, a men's reproductive health expert at Wayne State University who studies the chemicals in plastics, says "we have a lot to learn in terms of where it's accumulating and what processes it may be affecting." Recent work he's done suggested that men with higher levels of plasticizers and plastic chemicals in their bodies see their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.factor.niehs.nih.gov/2023/6/feature/3-mens-reproductive-epigenetics">sperm age faster</a>, in a similar way to cigarette smokers.</p><p>"It kind of is all pointing in the same direction — that these environmental factors are influencing sperm fitness," he said.</p><p>While the impact of microplastics on erections is unclear, that's nothing new in this field. Erections are still a very poorly understood, multifactorial phenomenon, involving nerves, hormones, muscles, and interest.</p><p>Ramasamy is confident that this is seriously worth investigating, especially given the recent link between more microplastics in blood vessels pumping oxygen to the brain, and more heart attacks and strokes. Couldn't it also be the case that microplastics are connected to erection issues, in a similar, physical way?</p><p>"You could have good blood supply, but if you don't have the actual muscle to do the heavy lifting, how are you going to make it work?" he said.</p>

Microplastics found in penis muscle for the first time. It could be linked to erectile dysfunction.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><em>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</em></li></ul><p><strong>Hello from Scotland! </strong>I'm Jordan Parker Erb, filling in for Joi-Marie.</p><p>It's been a rainy week here, but stateside, the weather is warming up — and some of you may be getting your toes summer-ready. But before you book your appointment, don't miss <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-bad-pedicure-signs-from-salon-owners-2024-5">these pedicure-specific red flags</a>.</p><p><strong>On the agenda:</strong></p><ul><li>Microplastics have been found in human testicles. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5">Now what</a>?</li><li>Heading to Greece? Avoid the crowds and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-lesser-known-greece-travel-destinations-according-to-expert">check out these hidden-gem locations</a>.</li><li>Rich Chinese millennials are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rich-chinese-millennials-solo-travel-no-kids-new-status-symbols-2024-5">redefining luxury status symbols.</a></li><li>Watch out, Airbnb hosts — it's going to be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-hosts-competition-summer-travel-direct-bookings-influencers-boost-revenue-2024-5">an unpredictable summer</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>But first: </strong>Let's go to Scotland.</p><hr /><p><strong><em>If this was forwarded to you, </em></strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today-sunday-edition"><strong><em>sign up here</em></strong></a><strong><em>. Download Insider's app </em></strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/app"><strong><em>here.</em></strong></a></p><hr /><div type="image" title="A photo illustration of the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh. There are illustrated stars surrounding the building." height="1000" width="2000" msid="110422634" hostid="261" sizebytes="215740"></div><h3 id="cb986ec2-6637-42ec-b41f-7330fe5259cb"><strong>This week's dispatch</strong></h3><h2 id="0fa1543d-17c8-4e14-a47c-74f3d334bbd7"><strong>Edinburgh's crown jewel</strong></h2><p>This weekend is the unofficial start to summer, with Memorial Day marking the return of warm-weather vacations and beach trips. Rarely one to follow the crowds, I opted for a different place to kick off summer: Scotland.</p><p>After a red-eye flight from New York City dropped me off in Edinburgh on Thursday, I checked into the Balmoral, a hotel in the heart of town.</p><p>Opened in 1902, the Balmoral is new compared to neighboring Old Town, the oldest part of Edinburgh where I'm told some buildings date back to the 12th century. And still, the hotel is dripping with history.</p><p>Originally built as a railway hotel, the Balmoral is home to a clock tower that's become a staple of the city's skyline. The catch? The clock is almost never right — it's set three minutes ahead to help travelers make their trains. It's only right on New Year's Eve.</p><p>The hotel has played host to a number of Britain's VIPs, from Paul McCartney to J.K. Rowling. In 2007, Rowling finished the final "Harry Potter" book at the hotel. A suite, marked with a bright purple door, is now named after the author.</p><p>For all its history, the Balmoral doesn't feel stuffy. Thoughtfully curated rooms draw inspiration from the natural world; Floral wallpaper and tartan textiles give the city-center hotel a distinctly Scottish feel.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/balmoral-hotel-rocco-forte-edinburgh-scotland-review-2024-5"><strong>Read the full review</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><hr /><div type="image" title="Illustration of underwear on a man lit up to illustrate microplastics" height="975" width="1300" msid="110422637" hostid="261" sizebytes="122988"></div><h2 id="1547b321-4763-4d36-b3d2-b32bb1812f26"><strong>A dire health hazard</strong></h2><p>A recent study by researchers at the University of New Mexico found microplastics in all the canine and human testes they examined. It's alarming given that testes, like the brain, have a special blood barrier that's meant to keep that from happening.</p><p>Experts told BI that to reduce your exposure to microplastics, you should avoid microwaving plastic or plastic-coated containers.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5"><strong>What the experts are saying</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><hr /><div type="image" title="Colorful houses built into a mountain on the water. There are boats docked in the water." height="3024" width="4032" msid="110422640" hostid="261" sizebytes="1398656"></div><h2 id="aafbc9f8-caa7-4630-9029-dc7608532a39"><strong>Greece's best-kept secrets</strong></h2><p>Having written guidebooks about Greece for the past 15 years, this author has stumbled into some stellar, lesser-known locations.</p><p>Instead of flocking to popular spots like Santorini and Athens, she recommends visiting places like Symi and the Peloponnese region. Symi is replete with Venetian-style mansions and swim spots, while the Peloponnese region is home to both mountains and long, beautiful beaches.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-lesser-known-greece-travel-destinations-according-to-expert"><strong>Read the rest of her recommendations</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><hr /><div type="image" title="Dior store in China" height="2747" width="4249" msid="110422644" hostid="261" sizebytes="1071882"></div><h2 id="366474a9-d7a7-4b29-8537-59c31d58f9d4"><strong>Chinese millennials' new status symbols</strong></h2><p>In China, rich millennials are reinventing status symbols, honing in on "quiet luxury" and their personal style. For some, that means opting to have fewer kids to focus on their careers and traveling solo.</p><p>Others are turning their attention away from loud, flashy brands and towards understated clothing choices. Similar to the West's "old-money aesthetic," their "laoqianfeng" is a way to look effortlessly put together.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rich-chinese-millennials-solo-travel-no-kids-new-status-symbols-2024-5"><strong>How they're changing the concept of luxury</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><hr /><div type="image" title="A family with backpacks and personal belongings approaches four cabins on a sunny day in the woods." height="1414" width="2120" msid="110422648" hostid="261" sizebytes="595598"></div><h2 id="1fdcb866-3b26-45f4-933d-e6ab7bf6fa07"><strong>Airbnb hosts brace for another cruel summer</strong></h2><p>With the Airbnb gold rush long gone, travelers have a plethora of options when booking a short-term rental this summer. Hosts are facing mounting pressure to get ahead of the unpredictable season and stand out among other listings in their areas.</p><p>Some are using direct bookings, which allow them to avoid fees and pocket more money. Others are hiring local influencers to lure guests.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-hosts-competition-summer-travel-direct-bookings-influencers-boost-revenue-2024-5"><strong>Read more about their summer strategies</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><hr /><div type="image" title="A television with an interference screen" height="1500" width="2000" msid="110422652" hostid="261" sizebytes="193524"></div><h2 id="87cb1119-d7eb-4af5-97a6-980fab272363"><strong>What we're watching this weekend</strong></h2><ul><li><strong>"Atlas": </strong>Jennifer Lopez stars as a counterterrorism analyst in Netflix's new sci-fi movie.</li><li><strong>"The Beach Boys":</strong> Disney+ has a new documentary about the legendary band featuring never-before-seen footage and new interviews.</li><li><p><strong>"Evil": </strong>The final season of the Paramount+ hit premiered this week.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-tv-shows-movies-streaming-netflix-paramount-peacock-may-24-24">See the full list</a>.</p></li></ul><hr /><h2 id="425d8c55-3b60-434f-a06d-eecc06bd4d66"><strong>More of this week's top reads:</strong></h2><ul><li>Screw helping the NFL, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-taylor-swift-making-a-musical-for-broadway-clues-theory-2024-5">Taylor Swift could save Broadway next</a>.</li><li>A tiny taco stand in Mexico City <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hole-in-wall-taco-stand-wins-michelin-star-mexico-city-2024-5">just won a Michelin star</a>.</li><li>Take a tour of DC Ranch, one of the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dc-ranch-scottsdale-arizona-most-expensive-neighborhood-2024-4"> priciest neighborhoods in Scottsdale</a>.</li><li>See inside American Airlines' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-employee-only-hotel-texas-pool-gym-2024-5">employee-only hotel</a>.</li><li>A Canadian living in the US doesn't get <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-in-us-doesnt-understand-why-americans-want-to-move-2024-5">why people want to move to Canada</a>.</li><li>Inside chef Carla Hall's fridge, from Costco staples to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrity-chef-easy-meals-cheap-foods-costco-buys-carla-hall-2024-5/">one thing she always buys on sale</a>.</li><li>These are the seven <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coolest-airports-in-the-us-best-unique-shops-restaurants-amenities-2024-5">coolest airports in the United States</a>.</li><li><p>A boomer couple "upsized" their house <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retired-boomers-moved-into-bigger-home-2024-5">to have room for their hobbies</a>.</p><hr /><p><strong>The Insider Today team: </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/joi-marie-mckenzie">Joi-Marie McKenzie</a>, editor-in-chief, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-parker-erb">Jordan Parker Erb</a>, editor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lisa-ryan">Lisa Ryan</a>, executive editor, in New York.</p></li></ul>

Insider Today: Airbnb hosts' cruel summer 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon said nearly all deliveries in North America no longer have plastic air pillows inside.</li><li>This change avoids 15 billion air pillows a year, Amazon's biggest plastic reduction effort yet.</li></ul><p>Nearly all Amazon deliveries in North America no longer include plastic air pillows, the e-commerce giant said on Thursday.</p><p>Amazon said the change would avoid some 15 billion air pillows — the company's largest reduction in plastic packaging to date. Instead, Amazon is using a paper filler made from 100% recycled material that customers can recycle at home as part of a broader effort to eventually eliminate all plastic packaging from North American fulfillment centers. Amazon already met that goal in Europe this year.</p><p>The switch to recycled paper comes as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-global-plastic-pollution-treaty-under-scrutiny-2024-4">companies and governments are under pressure</a> to phase out single-use plastics that are piling up in landfills and contributing to the climate crisis. The vast majority of plastics are made from oil and gas, can't be recycled, and degrade into tiny particles that leach into the air and environment. Scientists have found those microplastics in human blood along with organs including the liver, heart, lungs, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-found-in-human-testicles-what-to-do-2024-5">most recently testicles</a>, but the effects on our health are still being studied.</p><p>For years, Oceana, a nonprofit that advocates for protecting oceans, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-plastic-air-packets-boxes-circle-the-planet-2022-12">has criticized Amazon's ballooning plastic</a> footprint as the company ships billions of packages around the world. Matt Littlejohn, Oceana's senior vice president, told Business Insider that eliminating air pillows indicated Amazon was serious about its plastic-reduction efforts in North America and that it was welcome news for oceans. Plastic air pillows are made with a film <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=bi-auto-70463-20&amp;h=c38415b31a84dfb5aa56a438e162cc317827951d6b626391c4e894a25633a2fd&amp;postID=66736386b38735ca9df50ca4&amp;postSlug=amazon-cutting-single-use-plastic-shipping-packaging-paper-recycling-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-021-00720-8">that's commonly found littering marine areas</a>.</p><p>Oceana recently <a target="_blank" href="https://oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2024/04/Amazons-United-States-of-Plastic-Oceana-Report-April-2024_reducedsize-1.pdf">estimated that Amazon generated</a> more than 94,000 metric tons of plastic-packaging waste in the US alone in 2022, a 9.6% increase over the previous year. That's enough to circle the Earth more than 200 times in the form of air pillows, Oceana said.</p><p>Amazon disputes Oceana's figures and <a target="_blank" href="https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2022-sustainability-report.pdf">reported a lower amount of plastic packaging across</a> its global operations in 2022: Nearly 86,000 metric tons, an 11.6% decrease from the previous year.</p><p>Oceana said its estimates were higher than Amazon's because the company hadn't accounted for orders sent by third-party sellers. Those independent sellers account for <a target="_blank" href="https://sell.amazon.com/sell?ld=SEUSSOAGOOG-sitelink-guide-D&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;hvadid=664128654868&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvexid=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=11107216929719429337&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9007526&amp;hvtargid=kwd-297084214751&amp;ref=pd_sl_2vge9q2e84_b&amp;ld=SEUSSOAGOOG-BFBA12122B-CLK-D&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw4MSzBhC8ARIsAPFOuyXwoFqkDpXAG0SpyouCS4LjcgY7qHDkeWaOK2XItdtbw5ohJv0188UaAtm2EALw_wcB%5C">more than 60% of Amazon's sales</a>. Amazon's plastic-packaging data reflects orders shipped through its own fulfillment centers — which some independent sellers opt for — and through its grocery business. The data also isn't broken down by country.</p><p>"The first thing for us is to really test and learn and then scale what we can control within our own facilities," Pat Linder, Amazon's vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging, told BI. "That's been our focus."</p><p>Linder pointed to an Amazon fulfillment center in Cleveland that last year became the first to eliminate plastic delivery packaging and replace it with paper that's curbside recyclable. The effort involved rebuilding existing machines that were using plastic to package products. Additionally, As well as being more sustainable, the recyclable paper is better at protecting orders from damage, Linder said.</p><p>He added that Amazon would disclose the impact of these changes on the company's plastic use in a future sustainability report.</p><p>That report is also set to detail Amazon's broader climate strategy. The company aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 while boosting sales and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-energy-centers-water-energy-land-2023-10">building more data centers</a> that demand vast amounts of electricity.</p><p>In 2022, Amazon's carbon footprint dropped by 0.4% from the previous year, although it was still higher than in 2019, the first year Amazon reported its emissions.</p>

You Searched For "microplastic in testicles" and got 7 results

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Microplastics found in penis muscle for the first time. It could be linked to erectile dysfunction.

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Insider Today: Airbnb hosts' cruel summer

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