Microplastics are found for the first time in living human lungs

Environmental pollution caused by microplastics , which are small pieces of plastic, has been regarded as a problem in recent years, and there are concerns about not only marine pollution , which is often cited as a problem, but alsothe effects on the human body . Such microplastics were first discovered in the lungs of living humans.

Detection of microplastics in human lung tissue using μFTIR spectroscopy --ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722020009

Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for first time | Plastics | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/06/microplastics-found-deep-in-lungs-of-living-people-for-first-time

The latest microplastic-related study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, takes healthy lung tissue samples from patients undergoing surgery and analyzes fine particles up to 0.003 mm in the samples. As a result of the analysis, microplastics were detected in 11 out of 13 subjects. The two most common types of microplastics taken from living human lungs are polypropylene , which is used in plastic packaging and pipes, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) , which is used in plastic bottles. In past studies, microplastics were detected in human lungs at the time of corpse dissection, but this is the first time that microplastics have been detected in living human lungs.

Past research on microplastics has revealed that humans inhale various fine particles in their lives and take microplastics into their bodies through food and water. It is also known that people who take a lot of microplastics into their bodies may develop illness.

In March 2022, microplastics were first detected in human blood. It has also been pointed out that microplastics can move through the blood and accumulate in specific organs. However, it is not clear at the time of writing the article what kind of health effects the presence of microplastics in the blood will have. However, researchers related to microplastics said, 'Microplastics in the body are known to damage somatic cells and take air pollutant particles into the body, causing millions of premature deaths annually.' There are voices of concern.

Microplastics are discovered in human blood for the first time --GIGAZINE

'Because the airways in the lower lungs are small, it has been expected that microplastics will be filtered before they reach the lungs,' said Laura Sadovsky of Hal York Medical University, the lead author of this paper. The results are very surprising. Our paper will make significant advances in the areas of air pollution, microplastics and human health. ' Specifically, it is believed that the results of this study will be used to set detailed experimental conditions for determining how microplastics affect health.

There have been two 'studies on detecting microplastics in the lungs'. A 1998 study of lung cancer patients investigated the degree of contamination of plastics and plant fibers (collectively fibers) in more than 100 lung tissue samples. As a result of the survey, it is clear that 97% of the cancerous tissues were contaminated with fibers, while 83% of the non-cancerous tissues were contaminated with fibers. It has become.

In a 2021 study analyzing cadaveric samples in Brazil, polyethylene was the most common microplastic found in the lungs. The paper also concludes, 'Inhaling microplastics and the buildup of contaminants in the respiratory system may be associated with harmful health problems.'