Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations
Microplastics (MPs) are spread out in the environment and in several food, pharmaceutical, and caring products, which imply a high exposure to humans. In this regard, this study aimed to evaluate the presence of MPs in a type of ophthalmic product commonly used in Spain. Multi-use eye drops formulat...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Results in Chemistry |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625003157 |
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| author | Claudio Casella Luis Ramos-Guerrero Umberto Cornelli |
| author_facet | Claudio Casella Luis Ramos-Guerrero Umberto Cornelli |
| author_sort | Claudio Casella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastics (MPs) are spread out in the environment and in several food, pharmaceutical, and caring products, which imply a high exposure to humans. In this regard, this study aimed to evaluate the presence of MPs in a type of ophthalmic product commonly used in Spain. Multi-use eye drops formulated by hyaluronic acid- and no hyaluronic acid-base were evaluated. As well as, three discarding modes (first drop, first five drops, and half content) were studied. Worryingly, the total eye drops sample contained MPs. Those MPs found present non-color, irregular fragments and film shapes with a majority size range of 11–30 μm. MPs were identified as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) by micro-FTIR analysis. The interaction between MPs and the components of eye drops is discussed and correlated with the possible effects for eyes health. Moreover, dry eye syndrome is highly prevalent in Spain. The regular prescription of eye drops as a treatment, along with the presence of microplastics in these products has raised concerns about consumer health. It is a priority to prevent the indiscriminate misuse of these ophthalmic products, and in cases of use, it is recommended to adopt good practices as the recommended in this study. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-159edc9460324b65938ca2b5c874edd9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2211-7156 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Chemistry |
| spelling | doaj-art-159edc9460324b65938ca2b5c874edd92025-08-20T02:35:45ZengElsevierResults in Chemistry2211-71562025-05-011510233210.1016/j.rechem.2025.102332Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulationsClaudio Casella0Luis Ramos-Guerrero1Umberto Cornelli2Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, 33006 Oviedo, SpainGrupo de Investigación en Bio-Quimioinformática, Carrera de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170503, Ecuador; Corresponding author.Loyola University School of Medicine-Chicago (USA) and Milan, Lombardy, ItalyMicroplastics (MPs) are spread out in the environment and in several food, pharmaceutical, and caring products, which imply a high exposure to humans. In this regard, this study aimed to evaluate the presence of MPs in a type of ophthalmic product commonly used in Spain. Multi-use eye drops formulated by hyaluronic acid- and no hyaluronic acid-base were evaluated. As well as, three discarding modes (first drop, first five drops, and half content) were studied. Worryingly, the total eye drops sample contained MPs. Those MPs found present non-color, irregular fragments and film shapes with a majority size range of 11–30 μm. MPs were identified as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) by micro-FTIR analysis. The interaction between MPs and the components of eye drops is discussed and correlated with the possible effects for eyes health. Moreover, dry eye syndrome is highly prevalent in Spain. The regular prescription of eye drops as a treatment, along with the presence of microplastics in these products has raised concerns about consumer health. It is a priority to prevent the indiscriminate misuse of these ophthalmic products, and in cases of use, it is recommended to adopt good practices as the recommended in this study.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625003157MicroplasticsEye dropsEye healthHuman hazardOphthalmic formulations |
| spellingShingle | Claudio Casella Luis Ramos-Guerrero Umberto Cornelli Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations Results in Chemistry Microplastics Eye drops Eye health Human hazard Ophthalmic formulations |
| title | Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| title_full | Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| title_fullStr | Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| title_short | Microplastics in Spanish Eye Drops: Hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| title_sort | microplastics in spanish eye drops hidden contaminants in ophthalmic formulations |
| topic | Microplastics Eye drops Eye health Human hazard Ophthalmic formulations |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211715625003157 |
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