Accidentally swallowing small plastic items is a common concern. However, tiny plastic pieces often pass through the body without immediate health issues. The human digestive system can process various ingested materials, allowing small, smooth objects to navigate this pathway uneventfully.
How Plastic Travels Through the Body
When a small, non-sharp piece of plastic is swallowed, it begins a journey through the digestive system. Unlike food, the body cannot digest plastic due to a lack of enzymes to break down its complex polymers. The plastic maintains its form as it travels.
The process starts in the esophagus, where involuntary muscle contractions, known as peristalsis, propel the object towards the stomach. These wave-like motions move ingested materials onward. In the stomach, acids do not break down plastic.
From the stomach, the plastic continues into the small intestine, then the large intestine. Small, blunt objects typically pass spontaneously through the gastrointestinal tract. This passage can take 24 to 72 hours. Eventually, the plastic is excreted with stool.
When to Get Medical Help
While many small plastic items pass uneventfully, certain situations warrant immediate medical attention. Choking or difficulty breathing after swallowing plastic indicates a medical emergency.
Seek medical evaluation for severe abdominal pain, persistent cramping, or significant discomfort. Vomiting, especially if it contains blood or the swallowed object, requires professional attention. Bloody or black, tarry stools could indicate internal injury or bleeding.
An inability to pass gas or have a bowel movement might signal an intestinal obstruction. Swallowing specific items like large, sharp pieces, button batteries, or multiple magnets poses higher risks. Button batteries can cause chemical burns, and magnets can connect across intestinal walls, leading to tissue damage. If a child has swallowed plastic, particularly these higher-risk items, seek medical advice without delay.
Broader Health Considerations
Beyond the immediate passage of a swallowed plastic item, broader health considerations relate to microplastic exposure. Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments resulting from the breakdown of larger items. These particles can enter the body through contaminated food, water, and air.
While swallowing a single plastic piece differs from chronic microplastic exposure, a larger piece could degrade into microplastics over time. Humans may ingest significant amounts of microplastics weekly. Scientists have detected microplastics in human blood samples, indicating their widespread presence.
The long-term health effects of microplastic exposure and chemical additive leaching are areas of ongoing research. Some studies suggest chemicals in plastics, like phthalates, could disrupt hormones or damage organs such as the liver, kidneys, and lungs. The full extent of these effects and risks from intermittent plastic ingestion remain subjects of scientific investigation. It is important to distinguish between acute ingestion and cumulative, chronic environmental exposure.