Yep you read that right - microplastics have been found in human penises.
Plastic in the environment leads us to one not-so-fun realisation: microplastics are showing up in almost every part of the human body.
And this time it's coming straight for the men in charge 🍆
Hate to break it to you gents, but there is no escaping (literal) junk in your junk.
The low-down: Microplastics in human penises
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) were the most prevalent plastics found in penile tissue samples, ranging from 20 to 500 microns in diameter.
Plastics were found in 80% of the samples taken from six individuals undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis surgery for erectile dysfunction.
PET - Plastic bottles, food containers, clothing fibres
PP - Bottle caps, yogurt pots, crates, hot beverage cups
"The detection of microplastics in penile tissue raises inquiries on the ramifications of environmental pollutants on sexual health"
"Our research adds a key dimension to the discussion on man-made pollutants, focusing on microplastics in the male reproductive system."
This finding is a pretty damning fate for penis-bearers.
Having plastics floating around your junk may cause disruption to sperm production and processes that lead to an erection - which, ahem, relies on good blood flow, good hormones and timely nerve responses.
Should I be worried?
"We’ve moved past whether we have microplastics in us, to whether there is a level of microplastics beyond which things become pathologic," Ramasamy, co-author on the study, told The Guardian.
There's still a lot to learn, but what we do know is this: plastics may be posing a very real threat to male fertility and human reproductive health.
Alarm balls, sorry - bells going yet?
Support our plastic-free mission today as we dance towards the future of plastic-free parties (and penises) 🕺🍆
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