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The micro- and nanoplastics exposome feedback loop drives synergistic air–lung toxicity
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This perspective paper proposed the MNP Exposome Feedback Loop—a hypothesis that airborne micro- and nanoplastics act not as passive pollutants but as active catalysts in a self-reinforcing cycle of air-lung toxicity. The authors argued that MNPs in the respiratory tract adsorb additional pollutants and trigger immune responses that further compromise the lung's defense against subsequent exposures.
Airborne micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are now recognized as persistent components of the atmospheric exposome. While their presence is established, their toxicological role remains incompletely understood. In this perspective, we propose the MNP Exposome Feedback Loop-a hypothesized self-reinforcing system in which MNPs act not as passive pollutants, but as active vectors and catalytic amplifiers of airborne toxicity. We map emerging scientific insights to explore how atmospherically aged MNPs, through adsorption of pollutants and development of biofilms, form hybrid complexes with particulate matter (PM). Upon inhalation, these complexes are posited to trigger synergistic oxidative stress, epithelial barrier breakdown, and chronic inflammation, thereby potentially compounding susceptibility to respiratory diseases. We argue that the critical risk lies not in additive effects, but in this synergistic amplification. To preemptively address this potential risk, we introduce two forward-looking frameworks: (1) an Exposome-AI Framework for predictive toxicology, integrating atmospheric simulation, multi-omics, and machine learning; and (2) a new regulatory category, Vectorial Particulate Matter (VPM), defined by a particle's dynamic capacity to transport and amplify harm. This perspective aims to reframe MNPs as potential catalytic agents within a coupled atmosphere-lung system and to set a pathway for translating mechanistic insight into preventive regulation.
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This narrative review examines how inhaled micro- and nanoplastics from indoor and outdoor air — including from synthetic textiles and face masks — can trigger lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis, and outlines proposed mechanisms linking plastic inhalation to respiratory disease.
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An umbrella review of 15 systematic reviews finds consistent evidence linking micro- and nanoplastic inhalation to a spectrum of respiratory harm—from airway inflammation and alveolar damage to COPD exacerbation and pulmonary fibrosis—with nanoplastics penetrating deepest and urban residents, workers, and children facing the highest exposure burden.
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This review covers how microplastics and nanoplastics enter humans through food, air, and skin contact, accumulating in the body over time. Inhaled particles can damage the lungs from the upper airways down to the deepest air sacs, and prolonged exposure has been linked to chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, atherosclerosis, and cancer. The authors call for source reduction, material substitution, and better filtration to reduce exposure.
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