Study is the first in the world to confirm the presence of microplastics in amniotic fluid and placenta simultaneously

An Ostrava-based research team has presented the world's first evidence of the presence of microplastics in human amniotic fluid and placenta at the same time. These findings come as a further result of more than a decade of collaboration between scientists from the Faculty of Mining and Geology and the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology of the University of Science and Technology of Ostrava and doctors from the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava and the Ostrava University Hospital. The results of this study were published in the prestigious journal Chemosphere. The Ostrava scientists have been working on the issue of particles in the human body for many years and their research has yielded important findings.

Link to article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653523025717

"We have been researching microplastics at the Department of Environmental Engineering, HGF since 2019, primarily in water. The opportunity to investigate amniotic fluid and placental samples in collaboration with FNO is a further extension of this research for us." says Professor Silvie Heviánková, Head of the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Mining and Geology, VŠB-TUO.

"The research on microplastics and especially their identification in these samples was a great challenge for our team. Thanks to more than a year of work, we achieved a great result, which is published in the prestigious journal Chemosphere. Particles of 10 to 50 micrometres were found most often, with polyethylene being the most frequently identified material. The finding of polyethylene is not surprising, as it is one of the most commonly used plastics in the world." adds doctor Jan Halfar, an academic from the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Mining and Geology at VŠB-TUO.

"It was very challenging to maintain a strictly plastic-free environment and to ensure that samples were not contaminated from collection to testing. None of the instruments used were allowed to be made of plastic, and all areas where samples were handled were kept as clean as possible," explains Dr Kristina Čabanová from VŠB-TUO.

Microplastics underground: our research reveals the first evidence of microplastics in mine water

Our research team is behind the first finding of microplastics in mine water in the Czech Republic's largest coal basin. In an investigation that included samples from mine workings and nearby shallow wells, we identified microplastics at all sites tested, both at a depth of 5 m below the surface and at a depth of 700 m below the surface.

Our findings may change the perspective on the issue of plastic contamination in groundwater, which may be a potential water source. At the same time, they raise the need for more detailed investigation and measures to protect groundwater from microplastic contamination. This research has been published in the prestigious journal Water Research.

Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135423009788

"Taking samples of mine water from such a depth is not easy at all, because the average person cannot get there easily. In addition, the Diama staff had to follow instructions during the sampling process to avoid contaminating the samples with plastic materials." says Silvie Drabinová from the Department of Environmental Engineering, HGF, VŠB-TUO.

 "Our results confirm that microplastics are part of not only plain groundwater, but also water from underground mines. Their occurrence is surprisingly significant in the case of mine water from such a depth, and moreover comparable to the number of microplastic particles found in water samples from a depth of about 5 m, where the probability of microplastic contamination is certainly higher." says Kateřina Brožová from the Department of Environmental Engineering, HGF, VŠB-TUO.

"Using infrared microspectroscopy, we identified a variety of materials from which the particles were made. Among the materials identified are polyethylene terephthalate, known as PET. There is also polyester or polypropylene, which everyone comes across in everyday life." says Jan Halfar from the Department of Environmental Engineering, HGF, VŠB-TUO.

"Fibre was the most common shape and blue was the most common colour. The width of the particles was mostly in the range of 1-50 µm and the length was in the range of 100-500 µm," says Kristina Čabanová from the Department of Environmental Engineering and the Centre for Advanced Innovative Technologies, VŠB-TUO.

"The results of this study add to the relevant research base in the field of microplastic pollution and help us understand the extent of microplastic pollution and its migration through the environment." concludes Professor Silvie Heviánková from the Department of Environmental Engineering at HGF, the leader of the research team.