For the first time, scientists have discovered microplastics deep in the human lungs. Tiny particles appear in most lung tissue samples tested. Experts say that microplastic pollution has spread on a global scale, people will not be able to avoid plastic pollution New findings continue to raise concerns about human health.
Lung samples were taken from the tissues of 13 patients undergoing treatment and surgery at the hospital, of which 11 tissue samples contained microplastics. The most common plastic beads are polypropylene, which is used in wrapping paper, water pipes, and PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a component of plastic bottles).
In the past, there have also been studies with worrisome results. Surgery sessions showed an increase in the amount of microplastics in lung tissue.
Microplastics can enter the body through the respiratory tract, or through the esophagus through food and drinking water containing plastic. It is known that workers who are regularly exposed to microplastics also have many health problems.
“We did not expect that we could see such a large amount of microplastics in the lower area of the lungs, as well as [ngạc nhiên trước] size of the grain‘, said Laura Sadofsky, lead author of the scientific report. The researcher from Hull York Medical School was surprised to find that microplastics exist in these areas, because the airways in the lower part of the lungs are very small, which we thought microplastics would be filtered out early, can’t go deep.
“This data provides important advances in air pollution, microplastic research and human health.‘, said Ms. Sadofsky. The information can be used to reconstruct the experiment in a laboratory setting, thereby monitoring the effects of microplastics on human health.
In the new study, the team of scientists took samples of healthy lung tissue from 13 patients who were preparing for surgery. With modern technology, they can detect particles as small as 0.003mm, and use spectrophotometry to identify plastic particles. Carefully kept, these lung tissues cannot be contaminated with plastic from the environment once removed from the body.
This is not the first time microplastics have been found in human lung tissue. Lung samples taken from autopsies in Brazil in 2021 showed that 13 of the 20 tissue samples contained microplastics. Polyethylene is the name that comes up the most, it’s not surprising that they are the main ingredient in plastic bags.
As an integral part of modern life, plastic also creates many problems. Microplastics appeared on Mount Everest, then sank as far as the Mariana Trench; plastic on your hand in the shape of a cup, which can also exist in your body as a granule.
Until now, we still do not really understand the effect of plastic on living tissues of the body. Scientists are frantically searching for answers, looking for a link between microplastics and cell transformation, or more dangerous, the formation of cancer.
According to The Guardian
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