Of mice and men …

Microplastic particles that are exposed to fresh water or saltwater for several weeks are more likely to be absorbed by mouse cells growing in the laboratory, suggesting that environmental microplastics may be able to enter cells more easily than we thought.

Studies investigating the potential effects of ingested microplastics in animals often use clean – or “pristine” – microplastic particles. Yet these don’t fully resemble the particles found in nature, which can become coated with debris from the environment.

More details in this article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2262297-microplastics-left-in-water-are-more-easily-absorbed-by-mouse-cells/?