Microplastics. Will Parson / Chesapeake Bay Program

The chemical industry has known for decades that ingested microplastic particles can reach vital organs, an investigation has found.

While scientists are just starting to understand how microplastics accumulate in the human body and what harm they may inflict, documents reveal that industry scientists have long been aware of the risks, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times .

At a scientific meeting in 1974, a German scientist named Gerhard Volkheimer presented research showing that ingested bits of PVC plastic could enter the bloodstream. In experiments, he had fed bits of PVC to dogs, pigs, and other animals, finding that within two hours, the particles had infiltrated the liver, brain, lungs, and other tissues.…