Microplastics in blood bags may affect red blood cells
A new study indicates that plastic blood storage bags may shed microplastics into stored blood, potentially exacerbating damage to red blood cells. Researchers found that mechanical stress and improper storage temperatures accelerate the release of these particles.
Why it matters
This discovery raises concerns about the safety of blood transfusions and suggests a need for improved medical storage standards to protect patients.
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Plastic blood storage bags could be shedding microplastics into stored blood , and those particles may worsen the damage that red blood cells naturally accumulate during storage, according to a new study in Environment & Health (DOI: 10.1021/envhealth.6c00110). The findings suggest that blood storage systems could be a previously underappreciated source of microplastic exposure.
“This is the first study to directly visualize microplastic particles in stored red blood cell units using microscopy and to confirm their identity through analytical chemistry,” Angelo D’Alessandro , a University of Colorado Anschutz professor and expert in red blood cell storage who was not involved in the study, says in an email. “That is an important technical advance.”
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