It could also be the main cause of increasing incidence of pancreatic and kidney cancer in Generation X and Millennials compared with their Babyboomer parents.

A new study suggests that the amount of microplastics in human brains has been rising over the years. Researchers examined tissue samples from people who died between 1997 and 2024 and found a growing level of contamination. They also detected microplastics in the liver and kidneys, according to findings published in the journal Nature Medicine.

This latest study examined tissues from 28 people who died in 2016 and 24 who died in 2024 in New Mexico. It found much higher plastic levels in brain tissue compared to other organs. It also showed that contamination had increased over time, with higher levels in samples from 2024 than those from 2016.

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Microplastics, tiny plastic particles that come from broken-down plastic waste, have been found throughout the human body, including in blood, breast milk, and bone marrow. Scientists don’t yet fully understand their effects on health, but they have been linked to strokes and heart attacks.

The researchers from the University of New Mexico in the U.S. also discovered that people with dementia had about six times more microplastics in their brains. However, they say this doesn’t necessarily mean microplastics cause dementia - brain damage from the disease itself might trap more plastic particles.

Microplastics come from common plastics, like those used in bags and food packaging. People ingest or inhale them through food, water, and air.

These plastics have polluted the entire planet, from Mount Everest to deep oceans.

The research highlights that microplastics have become incredibly pervasive, invading almost every part of our bodies, from arteries and lungs to hearts and sperm.

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Polyethylene, a plastic used in bags and food containers, was the most common type found, making up about 75% of the total plastic detected. The plastic particles in brain tissue were mostly tiny flakes and shards. The amount of plastic in organs didn’t seem to be affected by age, sex, ethnicity, or cause of death.

Younger generations getting more cancer

Another study, conducted by the American Cancer Society (ACS), found that microplastics play an increasing role in acquiring pancreatic and kidney cancer in people under 50. Those born in 1990 and after face two to three times the risk compared to those born in 1955.

This study suggests that microplastics, which have proliferated since the 1960s, could be a factor behind disruption of the gut health as statistics show that Generation X or Millennial individuals are more likely to develop certain types of cancer than her Babyboomer parents.

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Study: Cancer cases and deaths among men will surge by 2050

The ACS study, published in the journal The Lancet, analyzed data from over 23 million cancer cases and 7 million deaths in the U.S. between 2000 and 2019. Researchers confirmed rising cancer rates among those under 50, particularly for colorectal, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, and testicular cancers.

Newer trends include increasing cases of small intestine and liver cancer in women, as well as anal cancer in men. Importantly, death rates for some of these cancers are also rising, indicating that the increase is not just due to better detection but reflects a real population-wide risk.

Many of these cancers are gastrointestinal, leading scientists to investigate potential causes such as diet, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and disruptions to the gut microbiome. However, some young patients affected by colorectal cancer are fit and lead healthy lifestyles, prompting a search for environmental carcinogens.

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