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Hazard assessment of airborne and foodborne biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates microplastics and non-biodegradable polypropylene microplastics
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A mouse study compared biodegradable PHA plastic particles to conventional polypropylene microplastics and found both types caused harm to the lungs, liver, and gut when inhaled or eaten. However, the biodegradable PHA particles caused notably less damage than polypropylene, suggesting that while biodegradable plastics are not harmless, they may pose lower health risks than traditional plastics.
Microplastics (MP) are ubiquitous in the environment, and are toxic to various living organisms. Proper application of biodegradable plastics may alleviate the hazards of conventional non-biodegradable plastics. In the current study, multi-omics analyses were performed to compare the biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and non-biodegradable polypropylene (PP) MP for their toxicity on mouse liver and lung. Airborne PHA MP induced nasal microbiome dysbiosis, pulmonary microbiome alteration, pulmonary and serum metabolome disruption, and hepatic transcriptome disturbances, resulting in mild pulmonary toxicity. By contrast, airborne PP MP caused greater alterations in nasal and pulmonary microbiome, pulmonary and serum metabolome, and hepatic transcriptome, resulting in pulmonary and hepatic toxicity. Both foodborne PHA and PP MP caused intestinal microbiome dysbiosis, while foodborne PHA MP caused slighter intestinal and serum metabolome disruption, hepatic transcriptome disturbances and hepatotoxicity (e.g., lower serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase) compared to foodborne PP MP. Some potential differential biomarkers were determined between PP and PHA MP exposures, i.e., nasal Allobaculum and pulmonary Alloprevotella for airborne PHA; nasal Lactobacillus and pulmonary Acinetobacter for airborne PP; intestinal Faecalibacterium for foodborne PHA; and intestinal unclassified_Erysipelatoclostridiaceae for foodborne PP. The results show that PHA MP can induce less pulmonary and hepatic toxicity compared to PP MP, suggesting PHA is a potential substitution for PP. The findings can benefit the hazard assessment of airborne and foodborne PHA and PP MP.
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Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics from food containers affect mice over four weeks. They found that both types disrupted lipid metabolism and increased harmful gut bacteria, but the biodegradable PLA microplastics actually caused more severe metabolic disruption than conventional polyethylene. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics may not be safer than traditional plastics when it comes to microplastic exposure from food packaging.
Polylactic Acid Microplastics Do Not Exhibit Lower Biological Toxicity in Growing Mice Compared to Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics
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Researchers compared the health effects of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics to conventional polyvinyl chloride microplastics in growing mice over six weeks. Contrary to expectations, the biodegradable microplastics caused equal or more severe harm, including greater disruption of gut bacteria, stronger inflammatory responses, and more intestinal damage. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics may not be safer than conventional plastics once they break down into microplastic-sized particles.
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Researchers found that polylactic acid (PLA) — a plastic marketed as biodegradable — caused liver damage in mice whether the particles were ingested through food or inhaled through air, disrupting gut and lung microbiomes along the way. The findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are safe and suggest that micro- and nanoplastics from any source can pose a risk to liver health.
Pulmonary-route-dominant retention and exposure burden of biodegradable PLA microplastics: Radiotracer-based toxicokinetics and development of the TRACE exposure-response framework
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Even "biodegradable" plastics aren't automatically safe. A mouse study found that breathing in PLA microplastics (a common plant-based plastic) causes them to build up in the lungs longer and cause more cell stress than swallowing them does. This suggests inhaling microplastics, like from dust or air pollution, may pose a bigger health risk than eating them.
Foodborne and airborne polyethersulfone nanoplastics respectively induce liver and lung injury in mice: Comparison with microplastics
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Researchers compared the effects of polyethersulfone micro and nanoplastics when consumed through food versus inhaled through air in mice. Eaten particles mainly damaged the liver by disrupting gut bacteria and metabolism, while inhaled particles primarily harmed the lungs. Nanoplastics caused more damage than microplastics in both cases, suggesting that the smallest plastic particles we breathe and eat may pose the greatest health risks.
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