Microplastics are particles smaller than five millimeters deriving from the degradation of plastic objects present in the environment. Microplastics can move from the environment to living organisms, including mammals. In this study, six human placentas, collected from consenting women with physiological pregnancies, were analyzed by Raman Microspectroscopy to evaluate the presence of microplastics. In total, 12 microplastic fragments (ranging from 5 to 10 μm in size), with spheric or irregular shape were found in 4 placentas (5 in the fetal side, 4 in the maternal side and 3 in the chorioamniotic membranes); all microplastics particles were characterized in terms of morphology and chemical composition. All of them were pigmented; three were identified as stained polypropylene a thermoplastic polymer, while for the other nine it was possible to identify only the pigments, which were all used for man-made coatings, paints, adhesives, plasters, finger paints, polymers and cosmetics and personal care products.

微塑料是小于五毫米的颗粒，是由于环境中存在的塑料物体降解而产生的。微塑料可以从环境迁移到包括哺乳动物在内的生物体。在这项研究中，通过拉曼显微技术分析了从同意怀孕的生理学孕妇中收集的六种人类胎盘，以评估微塑料的存在。总共在4个胎盘中发现了12个球形或不规则形状的微塑料碎片（大小从5到10μm不等）（胎侧5个，母体4个，绒膜羊膜3个）。所有的微塑料颗粒都在形态和化学组成方面进行了表征。所有的人都染上了颜色。三个被确定为染色聚丙烯热塑性聚合物，