• Ashelyn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    80
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    8 months ago

    I mean, there is the argument that if they bioaccumulate in the blood, it’s worth removing periodically even if it doesn’t stop new intake

    • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      edit-2
      8 months ago

      No because you’re making blood from nutrients with microplastics mixed in. That’s how it would hypothetically accumulate there in the first place. If it were being filtered out of the blood by another organ then I could see a case for scraping/removal but if it’s the blood then it’s coming directly from your food and drink and will be the same ratio even after bloodletting and/or regeneration.

      • emergencyfood
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        Let’s say you keep dripping slightly muddy water into a bucket. Over time, the mud will settle and accumulate in the bucket, while the clearer water will overflow. Now suppose you cut a slit at the base of the bucket. Now the mud will flow out through it and the water in the bucket will become less muddy, even though new muddy water is still dripping in. Here the bucket is your bloodstream, the slightly muddy water is your food, and the mud is microplastic.

        • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          8 months ago

          Blood doesn’t work like that, as it is constantly moving and being replaced. It is not a bucket.

          • emergencyfood
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            8 months ago

            The problem is that things like microplastics cannot be removed easily. (This is called bioaccumulation.) But if you bleed and lose some blood, the new blood will take time to accumulate.

            • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              8 months ago

              If it flows out when the blood moves then it wouldn’t accumulate there in the first place. I’m not sure what you’re having difficulty with here.

              • emergencyfood
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                8 months ago

                It doesn’t flow out when the blood moves, because the bloodstream is a closed loop (more or less). It can only flow out if you lose blood.

                • FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  8 months ago

                  The blood supplies to and through every single organ the vast majority of which are much more likely to catch and accumulate particles than the stream or vessels themselves.