New study results
In eleven out of 13 samples: Researchers have detected microplastics in the lungs of living people for the first time
Microplastics: The tiny particles can enter the body via the respiratory tract as well as via food and water (symbol image)
© Georg Hochmuth / Picture Alliance
That the earth has a serious plastic problem is nothing new. Now, for the first time, researchers have discovered microscopic pieces of plastic deep in the lungs of people living – unfortunately not the first worrying find in this direction.
For the first time, scientists have detected microplastics in the bodies of living people. The samples were taken from the lung tissue of 13 surgical patients – the researchers are said to have found microscopic plastic particles in eleven of them.
The results of the study, conducted by scientists from the UK’s University of Hull and Hull York Medical School, were published in the journal Science of The Total Environment at the end of March. Several English-language media reported about it.
Study results astonish scientists
According to the authors of the study, there is already sufficient evidence that the pollution of our air by plastic particles is increasing all over the planet – especially in metropolitan areas. The increasing concentration of microplastics poses a serious health problem, especially for people who work in industrial plants. The tiny plastic particles can enter the body through the respiratory tract as well as through food and water. Like the US website Science Daily reportedoceanographers led by researchers from Kyushu University published research results last year, according to which there are an estimated 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastic floating in the world’s oceans with a total weight of 82,000 to 578,000 tons – the equivalent of about 30 billion 500-ml plastic water bottles.
“Microplastics have already been found in autopsy specimens from human cadavers; this is the first robust study showing microplastics in the lungs of living people,” Bloomberg quoted Laura Sadofsky, one of the study’s lead authors. It was amazing that the plastic particles were found in the lower part of the lungs – nobody suspected that the particles could get so deep into the narrow airways. The scientists were also surprised by the size of the particles of up to 0.003 mm.
Twelve types of plastic detected
“These data represent important advances in the field of air pollution, microplastics and human health,” the British Guardian quoted Sadofsky as saying. The study results could now serve as a basis for laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of microplastics on humans.
According to the Guardian, surgeons at Castle Hill Hospital in East Yorkshire took the samples from living patients as part of routine procedures and made them available to the researchers. The latter had detected a total of twelve types of plastic – most commonly polypropylene and PET, which is used in plastic packaging and bottles. The proportion of microplastics was significantly higher in male patients than in female patients.
Last month, the Guardian reports, microplastics were also detected in human blood for the first time. This proves that the particles can migrate through the body and attach themselves to organs. Whether and to what extent this has health consequences has not yet been proven. However, the researchers are concerned because microplastics have caused damage to human cells in laboratory experiments.
swell: Study pre-proof; “The Guardians“; “Bloomberg“