Cyprus researchers detect microplastics in children’s urine for the first time

Local pollutionresearchTop Newsuniversities Cyprus researchers detect microplastics in children’s urine for the first time File Microplastics P061337 450501 Relevant News Forbes Cyprus to debate Cyprus’s place in the new era of finance 16 September 2026 Cyprus researchers detect microplastics in children’s urine for the first time 16 September 2026 Doctors linked to “suspicious” wellness clinics face checks, medical body warns 16 September 2026 newsroom 16 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A new study has found microplastics in the urine of Cypriot children for the first time, according to findings just published in an international scientific journal. The study was carried out by the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (CII) at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), working with researchers from the University of Catania in Italy. The exploratory study found early evidence that microplastics can appear in the urine of primary school children in Cyprus. This suggests children may be exposed to microplastics in ways that let the particles enter, and move through, their bodies. With advanced laboratory techniques, the researchers detected very small plastic particles in the urine samples and identified which types of plastic were present. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the types detected most often. The study also found that the amount of microplastics detected varied from child to child. But only a small number of children took part, and the analysis was mainly descriptive. As a result, the researchers caution that these differences shouldn’t be read as proof of clear distinctions between groups. The findings are preliminary and need to be interpreted with caution, the researchers said. Larger studies are needed to confirm two things: whether microplastics are consistently present in children’s urine, and how children are exposed to them in the first place. It’s also still unclear whether that exposure could affect children’s health. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Forbes Cyprus to debate Cyprus’s place in the new era of finance Doctors linked to “suspicious” wellness clinics face checks, medical body warns European Parliament votes to accelerate defence investment and procurement Cabinet approves €11.16bn budget for 2027, surplus set to widen Police probe plasmapheresis machines at private Larnaca clinic Will Cyprus back Ireland, Scotland and Wales’s right to self-determination? Savvides and Angelidis should have been the first to demand the investigation Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.