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AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Researchers in the Netherlands have detected microplastics for the first time in human blood.
In a study, published Thursday in peer-reviewed scientific journal Environment International, scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam report that certain microplastics were found in almost 80 per cent of the small sample of people tested.
Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments or fibres produced from the breakdown of larger pieces of plastics, including from beverage bottles, packaged food wrappers and plastic bags.
Researchers say the findings support "the hypothesis that human exposure to plastic particles results in absorption of particles into the bloodstream." Previous studies have shown that people and animals were known to consume microplastics via food and water, as well as breathing them in through air pollution. They have also been found in the feces of babies and some adults.
According to the study's authors, the findings show that microplastics can move around in the body and may remain in certain organs.
However, they say it is unclear what the long-term health effects may be.
"An understanding of the exposure of these substances in humans and the associated hazard of such exposure is needed to determine whether or not plastic particle exposure is a public health risk," researchers wrote in the study.
According to the study, blood samples from 22 healthy adults were analyzed, with "quantifiable" plastic particles found in 17 (77 per cent) of those samples.
The scientists used steel syringe needles and glass tubes to avoid contamination, and tested for background levels of microplastics using blank samples, according to the study.
Researchers report that PET plastic, which is used primarily for bottling soft drinks, juices and water, was found in 50 per cent of the study participants. Polystyrene, which is commonly used in the food-service industry for disposable utensils, cups and containers, was discovered in 36 per cent of the samples, and polyethylene from grocery and garbage bags was found in 23 per cent.
The study noted the levels of plastics were low, registering at an average of 1.6 micrograms in every millilitre of blood. However, the study's authors say just the mere presence of microplastics in blood is concerning.
Researchers report the microplastics were likely inhaled or ingested before being absorbed into the bloodstream.
The study describes the plastic fragments as "ubiquitous pollutants in the living environment and food chain." Despite this, no previous studies have been able to detect them in the bloodstream.
"The plastic particle concentrations reported here are the sum of all potential exposure routes: sources in the living environment entering air, water and food, but also personal care products that might be ingested, dental polymers, fragments of polymeric implants, polymeric drug delivery nanoparticles and tattoo ink residues," researchers wrote in the study.
Given the findings, researchers say they are concerned microplastics may cause damage to human cells, but say more research is needed.
"If plastic particles present in the bloodstream are indeed being carried by immune cells, the question also arises, can such exposures potentially affect immune regulation or the predisposition to diseases with an immunological base?" researchers wrote in the study.
The study was funded by the Dutch National Organization for Health Research and Development and Common Seas, a social enterprise working to reduce plastic pollution.
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
A local First Nations elder and veteran is helping to bring the Ojibwe language to a well-known film for the first time.
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
A well-known childhood prank known as 'nicky nicky nine doors,' or 'ding dong ditch,' has escalated into a more serious game that could lead to charges for some Surrey, B.C. teens.
It's been more than a month since their good friend was seriously hurt in an accident and two teens from Riverview, N.B., are still having a hard time dealing with it.
Halifax bridges have collected thousands of coins from around the world.