A study published in Nature suggests that microplastics may be more chemically active than previously thought. Researchers found that six common plastic types could generate reactive oxygen species, including hydroxyl radicals, at their surfaces when interacting with water. The activity was generally greater for more hydrophobic plastics. Laboratory experiments also linked these surface reactions to protein aggregation and damage to red blood cells from mice. Adding substances that scavenged free radicals or altered the plastic–water interface reduced some of these effects. The findings offer a possible mechanism for how microplastics interact with biological molecules, but further research is needed to establish whether these reactions cause harm in humans under real-world exposure conditions.
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