As humans are becoming increasingly dependent on plastic, its notorious impact on health and environment is rising. A recent study conducted by the scientists of University of Hull and Hull York Medical School revealed traces of microplastics in human lung tissue obtained after lung reduction surgery or lung cancer surgery. This new study was published in the journal, Science of the Total Environment. Earlier, scientists had found microplastics in the human colon, feces, placental tissue, and human blood.
According to scientists, microplastic exposure can lead to inflammation, cell death, and DNA damage in laboratory animals and cell cultures. The scientists while conducting the study used a method known as μFTIR spectroscopy to distinguish microplastics between non-microplastics.
The researchers used tissue samples from different places of the affected lung areas after surgical procedures of 11 patients at Castle Hill Hospital and Hull University Teaching Hospitals. Meanwhile, two participants contributed two tissue samples from distinct lung areas.
Additionally, 45 per cent of the study participants were female, with an average age of 63 years. The researchers used strict control measures to avoid and adjust for contamination as the microplastics were very common. Consequently, the scientists found that the microplastics were present in all the regions of the lung. The team of researchers identified 39 microplastics in 11 of the 13 lung tissue samples, with an average of 3 microplastics per sample.
The results of the study revealed that four types of microplastics were present in extreme quantities which include: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), resin, and polyethylene (PE).
Dr. Laura Sadofsky who is the author of the study and senior lecturer in respiratory medicine at Hull York Medical School, informed that the findings were surprising considering the structure of the lungs.
“We did not expect to find the highest number of particles in the lower regions of the lungs, or particles of the sizes we found. This is surprising as the airways are smaller in the lower parts of the lungs, and we would have expected particles of these sizes to be filtered out or trapped before getting this deep into the lungs,” said Dr. Laura Sadofsky.
However, the researchers are still uncertain about the health implications of microplastics. The scientists maintained that a follow-up research on the issues may shed more light if microplastics within the lungs can lead to inflammatory lung disease or cancer.
