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Comparative Analysis of Microplastics Detected in Human Colorectal Cancer Tissues from Two Countries
Summary
Researchers compared the physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics found in colorectal cancer tissue samples from patients in the United States and Malaysia. Using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, they identified differences in the types and properties of microplastics between the two countries. The study provides early comparative evidence that microplastics are present in human tumor tissues across different populations.
Abstract Microplastics are pervasive in the environment with potential health effects. Our study aimed to compare the physical and polymer characteristics of microplastics found in colorectal cancer samples from the United States and Malaysia. Microplastics were extracted from the tissues using chemical digestion of 10% potassium hydroxide and surface morphology was examined under a scanning electron microscope. Polymeric composition of microplastics incorporated micro-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the analysis. Microplastics were detected in all samples, and the Malaysian samples exhibited a higher abundance (32.2 items/g) than the American samples (25.9 items/g). Similar shapes were observed in both groups with fibers being the most abundant. American samples have longer category size (Category II=501-1000 µm) than the Malaysian samples (Category I=<500 µm). Both groups exhibited surface roughness on their microplastics and similar polymer types including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA) and polycarbonate (PC). Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was only found in the American samples. In conclusion, microplastics are ubiquitous in human tissue samples despite different population and different sampling time.