- Microparticles polypropylene were in respiratory organs of 1 in 13 operated patients in Great Britain
- Weeks earlier availability on microplastics was also found in human blood from Dutch scientists
For the first time, plastic microparticles have been found in the lungs of living people, which proves that we absorb them with polluted air, world media reported. This comes just two weeks after the announcement that the same particles were first found in human blood.
Microplastic was found in almost all samples taken from the lungs. According to scientists, this type of pollution is everywhere on the planet – from Mount Everest to the bottom of the ocean, which makes the danger to the population inevitable and raises serious concerns about the consequences for human health.
The samples were taken from the lungs of 13 patients who underwent surgery, and 11 of them were affected, the Guardian reported. The most common pollutants were polypropylene, used in various types of packaging and for the production of pipes, as well as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) for making bottles. But
there was more
nylon coming
probably from
clothes,
as well as resins available in broken roads, marking paints or in the rubber of car tires.
“We did not expect to find the largest number of particles in the lower parts of the lungs, nor particles of this size,” said Laura Sadofski of Hull York Medical School in the UK, which is leading the study. “It’s surprising because the airways are narrower in the lower lungs, and we’d expect particles of this size to be filtered or trapped before they get that deep.” The size of the detected particles was less than 0.003 mm and a spectroscope was used to determine the type of plastic, according to the Guardian.
According to the Daily Mail, the find is of 39 particles – a significantly larger amount than previous laboratory tests. 11 of them were in the upper part of the lungs, 7 – in the middle, and 21 – in the lower.
In the samples
there were 12 species
plastic,
found in packaging, bottles, clothing, ropes and in various production processes.
Humans absorb microparticles by breathing polluted air, but also through food and water. Microplastics have been found in the placenta of pregnant women, and in pregnant mice, they have been found to pass rapidly through the lungs and reach the heart, brain and other organs of the embryo.
In two previous studies, high levels of microplastics were found in the lungs at autopsies of the dead, the media recall. One of these studies in Brazil found contamination in 13 of the 20 samples analyzed. They were taken from people older than those in the current study.
A much earlier U.S. experiment in 1998 found plastic and plant fibers (such as cotton) in patients with lung cancer in 100 of the samples. Cancerous tissues contained 97% fiber and healthy – 83%.
Just weeks ago, microplastics were first discovered by Dutch scientists in human blood. Twenty-five volunteers took part in the study at Amsterdam Free University. The blood taken from them was tested for several types of plastic using specially designed technologies. Microplastics were found in three quarters of the participants. It was in a relatively small amount – an average of about 1.6 micrograms per milliliter. The presence of PET plastic was found in most of them. Additional analyzes should establish the effects on the body of the shocking discovery, but it is assumed that the microplastic
damages
human
cells
The study showed that through the bloodstream, particles move throughout the body and can be deposited in the organs.
Microplastics are already so common that we
swallow by
7000 particles
every day,
reads the appalling result of a survey conducted last year. This is 100 times higher than expected, which could pose a threat to human health at the level of asbestos and smoking. Scientists used extremely sensitive equipment to “capture” particles smaller than 10 microns – one tenth of the thickness of human hair. The highest concentration was found in the room of an 8-year-old girl, because the bed, carpet and soft toys were made of synthetic fabrics.
The information from the current study can be used to create realistic laboratory conditions to study the effects on the human body. Fears are that in addition to their own harmful effects, plastic microparticles can introduce a number of other environmental toxins into the body, in particular harmful metals such as lead, as well as organic pollutants such as various pesticides and dioxins. And which are known to be carcinogenic and cause reproductive problems and developmental disorders.
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