Researchers in Europe say they have discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time ever. Speaking to The Guardian on Thursday, Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands, said that their “study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood–​it’s a breakthrough result.” However, more studies are needed, he said. “But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.,” he continued. Scientists in the Netherlands obtained blood samples from 22 anonymous healthy adult donors, analyzing them for particles as small as 0.00002 of an inch. Seventeen, or 77.2 percent, had microplastics in their blood, according to the study. Their research was published in Environment International, testing for five types of plastic: polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). And the term microplastic, they added, refers to “plastic particles for which no …