Analysis of the Presence of Microplastics in Mother-Baby Pairs: Evidence from the PIPA Project on Maternal-Infant Exposure.

A presença de microplásticos em ambientes naturais e em organismos humanos tem sido uma preocupação crescente, com implicações ainda pouco compreendidas para a saúde humana (PEEKEN et al., 2018; KANE et al., 2020; O’BRIEN et al., 2023). Estudos recentes sugerem que microplásticos podem atravessar barreiras biológicas, sendo detectados em fluidos corporais e tecidos humanos (BRAUN et al., 2021; LESLIE et al., 2022; HORVATITS et al., 2022). No contexto materno-infantil, essa exposição é particularmente relevante, dada a vulnerabilidade de gestantes e bebês aos poluentes ambientais (PADULA et al., 2021; PADULA et al., 2015; DRAGO et al., 2020). No entanto, as evidências sobre a presença de microplásticos em amostras biológicas maternas e neonatais são limitadas, especialmente no Brasil (RAGUSA et al, 2021; ZHU et al., 2023; LIU et al., 2022; BRAUN et al., 2021). Esta pesquisa busca contribuir para o entendimento dos potenciais impactos dos microplásticos na saúde materno-infantil, explorando sua presença em diversas amostras biológicas de pares mãe-bebê.
The objective of this study is to investigate the presence of microplastics in 30 samples of breast milk, urine, stool, umbilical cord blood, and placenta from pregnant women and their babies, comparing concentrations among samples collected under the PIPA project. Additionally, the study aims to analyze the correlation between the presence of microplastics and possible impacts on maternal and neonatal health, as well as to explore factors related to variability in exposure, such as sociodemographic characteristics.

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