P20-19 Environmentally aged secondary microplastics exacerbate pulmonary inflammation in mice

Causal relationship between micro- and nanoplastics and lung function

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Researchers quantified micro- and nanoplastic levels in whole blood from young adults using pyrolysis GC-MS and measured lung function by spirometry, analyzing the causal relationship between circulating plastic particle burden and forced expiratory volume and vital capacity outcomes.

Toxicological effects of different particle sizes and types of nano-plastics (NPs) on human lung cells: implications for the health risk of airborne microplastic pollution

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Researchers exposed human A549 alveolar cells to polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate nanoplastics of 30 and 50 nm and found that smaller size and higher concentration produced stronger cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis—with PS nanoparticles more toxic than PMMA—providing in vitro evidence of respiratory health risks from inhaled airborne nanoplastics.

Microplastic Accumulation in the Human Lung: Distinct Signatures in Lung Cancer vs Normal Tissue

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Scientists found tiny plastic particles (from things like packaging and bottles) in all the lung tissue samples they studied, both cancerous and healthy. Cancer samples tended to have more plastic bits, especially smaller fiber-shaped pieces made of common plastics like polypropylene and PET, but this was a small study, so it can't yet prove plastics cause cancer, just that they're worth investigating further. Bottom line: this adds to growing evidence that microplastics are showing up in our bodies, and researchers want to know if they're contributing to lung disease.

Impact of Microplastics on the Severity of Intestinal Inflammation in Mice

Polyethylene Microplastics Disrupt Cardiopulmonary Homeostasis via Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Crosstalk, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Wistar Rats

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Male Wistar rats orally dosed with polyethylene microplastics for 28 days showed elevated cardiac and pulmonary injury biomarkers, suppressed antioxidant defenses, inhibited mitochondrial TCA cycle enzymes, and disrupted respiratory chain complexes, indicating simultaneous heart and lung damage through shared oxidative and inflammatory pathways. The study suggests that routine microplastic ingestion may impose systemic cardiopulmonary stress, with organ-specific dose-response differences suggesting the lungs may be particularly sensitive.