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Microplastics in Human Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
Summary
Researchers developed a method to detect microplastics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a less invasive sampling technique than surgical lung biopsy, to assess human respiratory exposure. Using fluorescence microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, they identified and characterized microplastic particles in lung wash samples from patients undergoing bronchoscopy. The study suggests that lavage fluid analysis could become a practical tool for monitoring microplastic exposure in human lungs.
Abstract Rationale: Environmental plastic pollution, particularly microplastics, has emerged as a global issue. The health impacts of inhaling airborne microplastics have been actively investigated. Microplastics were detected from surgically obtained lung specimens. However, the number of patients studied are small and much remains unknown. It may be urgent to establish a system for collecting more lung samples and assessing their impact on health. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which is useful in diagnosing environmental exposures such as asbestos-related lung diseases, is a less invasive sampling method than surgical lung biopsy and may be valuable in elucidating microplastics exposure and its impact on the human health.Objective: This study aimed to establish a detection method for microplastics from BALF and evaluate the health impacts.Methods: Patients undergoing bronchoscopy for diffuse lung disease diagnosis were included. Saline had been passed through the bronchoscope and collected before BALF sampling as control samples, then BALF were collected. After the removal of organic material, the samples were filtered using a glass filtration system to adjust the concentration and facilitate detection on filter paper. Microplastics were detected using Nile red staining and fluorescence microscopy. Particle size distribution, shape and concentration were quantified and calculated by image analysis software, and plastic types were identified using Raman spectroscopy. We evaluated the correlation between the detection results of microplastics and the clinical laboratory findings.Results: Microplastics were detected from all BALF of 30 patients. The median concentration of Nile red-stained particles was 684.7 particles/mL, which was higher than the control samples. Most detected microplastics (81.5%) were smaller than 10 μm in diameter. The shapes were predominantly particulate, comprising 93.5%, with fibers accounting for 6.5%. The shape and size distribution were also similar to those observed in lung tissue and air sample. Polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate were the most frequently identified plastics. Microplastics concentration in BALF positively correlated with blood C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.035), and was significantly higher in areas showing consolidation shadows (P = 0.024).Conclusion: We established a basic method for detecting microplastics in BALF. Surprisingly, microplastics were detected in all BALF of patients, and even a potential link to the concentration and inflammation was suggested. It is expected that using this less invasive approach, compared to surgical sampling, will allow for the analysis of a larger number of patients and advance our understanding of health impacts.