Overview

• A systematic review in Osteoporosis International analyzed 62 studies and reported multiple adverse effects of microplastics on bone health.
• Evidence points to impaired bone marrow stem cells with increased osteoclast formation, alongside inflammation, altered cell differentiation and reduced cell viability in vitro.
• Animal studies summarized in the review describe compromised bone microstructure, dysplasia, interrupted skeletal growth and potential deformities and fractures.
• Rodrigo Bueno de Oliveira’s team at UNICAMP, backed by FAPESP, is launching animal experiments to test how microplastic exposure affects the strength of rodent femurs.
• Microplastics have been detected in human tissues including bones, though direct causal links to human bone disease remain unproven as IOF projects a 32% rise in osteoporosis-related fractures by 2050.