New technique expected to enable scientists to find accumulated microplastics in humans

Microplastic and nanoplastic particles are now discoverable in human organs thanks to a new technique.

Microplastics have polluted the entire planet, from Arctic snow and Alpine soils to the deepest oceans. People are also known to consume them via food and water, and to breathe them in, but the potential impact on human health is not yet known.

Health impact is unknown but scientists say particles may cause long-term damage to foetuses.

Microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”.

The health impact of microplastics in the body is as yet unknown. But the scientists said they could carry chemicals that could cause long-term damage or upset the foetus’s developing immune system. The particles are likely to have been consumed or breathed in by the mothers.

One in every eight deaths in Europe can be linked to pollution, according to a new report by the EU's environment agency (EEA).

It said factors such as air and noise pollution, as well as poor water quality and exposure to chemicals, contributed to 13% of all deaths.

The report also noted that poorer communities and vulnerable people were the hardest hit by pollution.

"Strong action is needed to protect the most vulnerable," the agency said.

Using contaminated wastewater from a residential ditch to process bottled water, a facility in Hai Phong has been shut down.

Authorities in the northern city have shut down a facility producing drinking water in Ky Son Commune of Thuy Nguyen District over food safety violations.

Inspectors from Hai Phong’s Health Department found the Liem Son facility owned by Nguyen Van Hue, a local resident, has operated without a permit and sourced water from a ditch running through the commune to process into bottled water sold on the market under the brand Vinalis.

The germs that cause the disease can be found in hotels, hospitals and cruise ships. Here's what you need to know.

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the Sheraton Atlanta during the busy summer travel season is a reminder dangerous germs can lurk in hotel hot tubs, showers and air-conditioning units.

Health officials in Georgia there are now 11 lab-confirmed cases and 55 probable cases of the rare, but serious, lung infection linked to the outbreak. No one has died.

Globally, we are ingesting an average of 5 grams of plastic every week, the equivalent of a credit card, a new study suggests.

This plastic contamination comes from "microplastics" -- particles smaller than five millimeters -- which are making their way into our food, drinking water and even the air.

Around the world, people ingest an average of around 2,000 microplastic particles a week, according to the study by the University of Newcastle, in Australia.