A groundbreaking study led by Professor Ranjith Ramasamy, a reproductive urology expert at the University of Miami, has been published in the esteemed medical journal IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal. The research documents the identification of seven distinct microplastic polymer types within penile and testicular tissues obtained from five patients diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED). Professor Ramasamy noted, "While the detection of microplastics in penile tissue was anticipated due to its dense vascular network, the presence of diverse microplastic varieties in testicular samples represents a novel and unexpected finding."邁阿密大學生殖泌尿學專家蘭吉斯·拉馬薩米教授領導的一項開創性研究已發表在權威醫學期刊《IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal》上。該研究記錄了從五名勃起功能障礙（ED）患者的陰莖和睾丸組織中鑑定出的七種不同類型的塑膠微粒聚合物。拉馬薩米教授指出："由於陰莖組織具有密集的血管網路，在其中檢測到塑膠微粒是預料之中的，但睾丸樣本中存在多種類型的塑膠微粒則是一個新穎且出乎意料的發現。"Microplastics are defined as polymeric particulate matter measuring between 5 millimeters and 1 micrometer in diameter. These fragments originate from the fragmentation of larger plastic items via chemical weathering or mechanical abrasion. Scientific observations indicate that certain submicroscopic particles possess the capacity to infiltrate cellular structures and tissues within vital organs, with mounting epidemiological data reflecting their escalating ubiquity in human systems. The pervasive dissemination of these particles is increasingly recognized as one of potential determinants of health outcomes. Notably, Professor Ranjith Ramasamy emphasizes that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) constitute the most frequently detected polymer varieties in human biological matrices.塑膠微粒被定義為直徑在5毫米至1微米之間的聚合物顆粒物質。這些碎片來源於較大塑料製品通過化學風化或機械磨損產生的破碎。科學觀察表明，某些亞微觀顆粒具有侵入重要器官細胞結構和組織的能力，越來越多的流行病學資料反映出它們在人體系統中的普遍性日益增加。這些顆粒的廣泛傳播日益被認為是健康結果的潛在決定因素之一。值得注意的是，蘭吉斯·拉馬薩米教授強調，聚對苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）和聚丙烯（PP）是人類生物基質中最常檢測到的聚合物類型。Professor Ranjith Ramasamy emphasized, "Substantial additional clinical investigation is required to establish causal links between microplastic exposure and erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, targeted research must delineate which polymer subtypes possess pathogenic potential." Prior analytical studies have quantified an average burden of 240,000 microplastic particles per liter of commercially available bottled water. Professor Ramasamy advised, "Public health attention should be directed toward plastic-packaged consumables, particularly hydric and alimentary products. Prudent limitation of such exposure is warranted until toxicological thresholds for pathological manifestation are scientifically defined."蘭吉斯·拉馬薩米教授強調："需要大量的額外臨床研究來確定塑膠微粒接觸與勃起功能障礙之間的因果關係。此外，必須有針對性的研究來明確那些聚合物亞型具有致病潛力。"先前的分析研究已量化出市售瓶裝水平均每升含有24萬顆塑膠微粒顆粒。拉馬薩米教授建議："公共衛生注意力應轉向塑料包裝的消費品，特別是水性和食品類產品。在科學界定出病理表現所需的毒理學閾值之前，有必要謹慎限制此類物品的接觸。"Professor Matthew J. Campen of the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy has contributed corroborative research in this field. In a study released in May of this year, Campen reported that human testicular tissue contains microplastic and nanoplastic concentrations threefold greater than those observed in animal testes and human placental samples. The investigation analyzed 23 archived human testicular specimens from donors aged 16 to 88, quantifying 12 distinct microplastic polymers and contrasting these levels with those detected in 47 canine testicular samples. Campen emphasized, "Human testes exhibited triple the microplastic particulate load and polymer diversity compared to canine testes—animals that routinely consume floor-level food sources. These findings provide critical insight into the extent of anthropogenic plastic ingestion and its systemic bioaccumulation."美國新墨西哥大學藥學院的馬修·J·坎本教授為該領域提供了佐證性研究。在今年五月發佈的一項研究中，坎本報告稱，人類睾丸組織中含有的塑膠微粒和奈米塑料濃度是動物睾丸和人類胎盤樣本中觀察到的三倍。該研究分析了23份來自16至88歲捐贈者的存檔人類睾丸標本，量化了12種不同的塑膠微粒聚合物，並將這些水平與47份犬類睾丸樣本中檢測到的水平進行了對比。坎本強調："與犬類睾丸相比，人類睾丸的塑膠微粒顆粒負荷和聚合物多樣性是其三倍——而犬類通常會食用地面上的食物來源。這些發現為理解人為塑料攝入的程度及其系統性生物累積提供了重要見解。"Practical measures exist to mitigate human exposure to microplastics. According to Dr. Leonardo Trasande, Director of Environmental Pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, initial interventions include prioritizing stainless steel and glass containers to minimize plastic usage. Additionally, he advises against microwaving food or liquids—including infant formula and expressed breast milk—in plastic vessels, and recommends avoiding dishwasher cleaning of plastic items, as thermal exposure can promote chemical migration. While microplastics are generally chemically inert toward biological systems, their physical presence may disrupt physiological processes, such as erectile function and spermatogenesis.存在一些可減輕人類接觸塑膠微粒的實用措施。紐約大學朗格尼健康中心環境兒科主任萊昂納多·特拉桑德博士表示，初步干預措施包括優先使用不鏽鋼和玻璃容器以減少塑料使用。此外，他建議避免使用塑料容器微波加熱食物或液體——包括嬰兒配方奶粉和擠出的母乳，並建議避免用洗碗機清洗塑料物品，因為熱暴露會促進化學物質遷移。雖然塑膠微粒通常對生物系統呈化學惰性，但它們的物理存在可能會干擾生理過程，例如勃起功能和精子發生。 （英語學習資源中心）