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Long-Term Exposure to Real-Life Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoplastics Induces Carcinogenesis In Vitro
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In a lab study, human lung cells exposed to PET nanoplastics (the same plastic used in water bottles) for 30 weeks developed signs of cancer, including DNA damage, the ability to grow without normal anchoring, and increased activity of cancer-related genes. These findings suggest that long-term, chronic exposure to nanoplastics through breathing could carry serious cancer risks that short-term safety tests would miss.
Micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) are environmental contaminants originating mainly from plastic waste degradation that pose potential health risks. Inhalation is a major exposure route, as evidenced by their detection in human lungs, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) among the most abundant particles in respiratory airways. However, the harmful effects of particle bioaccumulation remain unclear, as chronic effects are understudied. To assess long-term effects, specifically carcinogenic effects, BEAS-2B cells were exposed to PET-NPLs for 30 weeks. Genotoxicity, carcinogenic phenotypic hallmarks, and a panel of genes and pathways associated with cell transformation and lung cancer were examined and compared across three exposure durations. No significant effects were observed after 24 h or 15 weeks of exposure. However, a 30-week exposure led to increased genotoxic damage, anchorage-independent growth, and invasive potential. Transcriptomic analysis showed the upregulation of several oncogenes and lung cancer-associated genes at the end of the exposure. Further analysis revealed an increase in differentially expressed genes over time and a temporal gradient of lung cancer-related genes. Altogether, the data suggest PET-NPLs' potential carcinogenicity after extended exposure, highlighting serious long-term health risks of MNPLs. Assessing their carcinogenic risks under chronic scenarios of exposure is crucial to addressing knowledge gaps and eventually developing preventive policies.
More Papers Like This
Long-TermExposure to Real-Life Polyethylene TerephthalateNanoplastics Induces Carcinogenesis In Vitro
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Long-term in vitro exposure of lung epithelial cells to real-life PET nanoplastics — particles collected from the environment rather than synthesized models — induced carcinogenic transformation including anchorage-independent growth and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, suggesting that chronic inhalation exposure to PET nanoplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk.
Long-Term PET-Nanoplastic Exposure Alters DNA Damage Response Capacity in BEAS-2B Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells
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Scientists exposed human lung cells to tiny PET plastic particles (the type found in plastic bottles) continuously for over 20 weeks and found that these cells became worse at repairing their own DNA damage, essentially weakening the body's natural defense against cell mutations. When challenged with a DNA-damaging chemical, the plastic-exposed cells accumulated more lasting damage than normal cells, suggesting long-term nanoplastic exposure could make lung tissue more vulnerable to genetic errors over time. While this was a lab study on cells (not people), it raises real concerns about what breathing in plastic particles
The long-term in vitro co-exposure of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics and cigarette smoke condensate exacerbates the induction of carcinogenic traits
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Lab tests showed that when human lung cells were exposed to both nanoplastics from PET water bottles and cigarette smoke over a long period, the combination caused significantly more DNA damage and cancer-like changes than either substance alone. This suggests that the combined effect of inhaling nanoplastics and smoking may pose a greater cancer risk than previously understood.
Nanoplastics from ground polyethylene terephthalate food containers: Genotoxicity in human lung epithelial A549 cells
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This study tested nanoplastics made from ground-up PET food containers on human lung cells in the lab and found they caused DNA damage and increased harmful reactive oxygen species. Unlike most studies that use standard polystyrene particles, this research used real-world PET plastic from supermarket containers, making the results more relevant to actual human exposure. The findings suggest that inhaling tiny PET particles shed from everyday food packaging could pose a risk to lung health.
In vitro cell-transforming potential of secondary polyethylene terephthalate and polylactic acid nanoplastics
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Researchers tested whether tiny nanoplastic particles from common PET plastic bottles could promote cancer development in lab cells. They found that PET nanoplastics acted as a tumor promoter, meaning they helped already-damaged cells grow into cancerous ones, even though a "biodegradable" alternative (polylactic acid) did not show the same effect. This raises concerns about long-term cancer risks from the nanoplastic particles that break off from everyday plastic bottles.
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