RESEARCHERS have found the presence of microplastics on human penises and raised concerns on the significant impact it may have on men’s reproductive health, a recent data from IJIR: Your Sexual Medicine Journal showed.
According to the study, about seven types of microplastics were discovered in over four of the five samples of penile tissues taken from different men who had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and were hospitalized to undergo penile implant surgery at the University of Miami from August to September 2023.
The results were only released this month.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, smaller than five millimeters. Some microplastics come from larger pieces of plastic that have broken apart.
“The detection of MPs [microplastics] in penile tissue raises inquiries on the ramifications of environmental pollutants on sexual health,” the study said in its report.
According to the researchers, samples were collected over eight weeks while the patients were having surgery to insert multi-component inflatable penile prosthesis.
One sample was collected using normal procedures, and five were collected to make sure they didn’t get mixed up with other medical devices. Three patients, including the one with the normal sample, had received injections into their penis before, but none had had surgery on their penis before, it said.
Following the release of the study, researchers said further studies are required to prove its possible linkage to erectile dysfunction among men.
Erectile dysfunction in PH
In the Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Health Research and Development said in 2023 that the prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 10.4 percent among Filipino adult men aged 40 years.
It added that blood pressure and waist size were identified as risk factors linked to the development of erectile dysfunction. These findings underscore the importance of raising awareness among men, patients, and healthcare providers nationwide about the presence and consequences of erectile dysfunction.
