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The bioaccumulation and carcinogenic potential of micro- and nanoplastics in humans
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This comprehensive review synthesizes recent evidence showing that micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in multiple human organs and examines the biological pathways by which these particles could potentially promote cancer development. As plastic particles are now confirmed inside human tissues, understanding their carcinogenic potential has become one of the most urgent questions in environmental health research.
The rising concentrations of anthropogenic microplastics (MPs; 1 µm to 5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs; < 1 µm) pollution pose a global crisis, presenting a grave threat to the ecosystem and the health of living creatures within. Studies between 2024 and 2025 reported the bioaccumulation of MPs and NPs (MNPs) in several human organs. However, unlike animal and cell line studies, the relationship between MNPs exposure and carcinogenesis in humans remains unclear. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review article to summarize the bioaccumulation of different types of MNPs in human multi-system organs reported to date. In this article, we investigated the link between various types of MNPs and cancer in multi-system organs. Furthermore, we explored potential carcinogenic pathways and identified research gaps and populations at-risk. This article will provide a comprehensive understanding of the carcinogenic potential of MNPs and their implications for global public health. It highlights important directions for future research and emphasizes the necessity for interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle this significant global health challenge.
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This review synthesizes evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics have been detected in human blood, placenta, breast milk, and stool, with emerging associations between internal MNP burdens and inflammatory, cardiometabolic, and potential reproductive effects. Humans are exposed through ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, and medical interventions, making microplastic accumulation in the body a pressing public health concern requiring urgent research into clinical health outcomes.
The Potential Human Impacts of Environmental Contamination by Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Review
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Researchers reviewed human health consequences of environmental micro- and nanoplastic contamination, noting that while detection in human tissues is growing, the extent of biological harm remains poorly characterized and requires more systematic study of exposure routes and dose-response relationships.
Microplastics and nanoplastics in human health: a comprehensive review of exposure pathways, cellular mechanisms, and toxicological implications
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Researchers reviewed human exposure pathways to microplastics and nanoplastics through seafood, salt, drinking water, inhalation, and skin contact, examining how these particles cross biological barriers to reach organs and trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption with poorly understood long-term consequences.
Micro-nano Plastics: Development of Carcinogenicity
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Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics may contribute to cancer development, examining the biological pathways by which these particles — now found throughout the human body — could trigger cell damage, inflammation, and potentially carcinogenic processes.
Cellular and Animal Toxicities of Micro- and Nanoplastics
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Researchers reviewed evidence from cell and animal studies on the toxic effects of micro- and nanoplastics, finding that these particles can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and organ damage in laboratory models, raising concern about what chronic low-level human exposure might mean for long-term health.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.