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Molecular mechanisms of air pollution–induced carcinogenesis and the emerging role of microplastics
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This review examined the molecular mechanisms by which air pollution components — including fine particulate matter, microplastics, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals — contribute to cancer development. The authors identify microplastics as an emerging air pollution carcinogen that can carry and deliver chemical carcinogens into lung tissue.
Ambient air pollution is a major environmental carcinogen consisting of a complex mixture of particulate matter, gases, and adsorbed toxicants. Fine (PM) and ultrafine (PM) particles are of particular concern due to their capacity to penetrate deep into the lungs and translocate systemically, carrying carcinogens such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Exposure arises from traffic emissions, industrial activity, biomass combustion, and indoor sources, with inhalation as the primary route. Epidemiologic studies have firmly established associations between air pollution, particularly PM and increased risks of lung, bladder, breast, and hematologic cancers, even at concentrations below regulatory thresholds. Mechanistically, pollutant-induced carcinogenesis is driven by oxidative stress, DNA damage, epigenetic reprogramming, immune dysregulation, and impaired cell cycle control. Air pollution generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), disrupts mitochondrial function, alters DNA repair pathways, and modulates the expression of tumor suppressor genes through methylation and histone modifications. Prolonged inflammation and immune suppression in polluted tissue microenvironments further promote malignant transformation. Recent studies have shown increased interest in microplastics (MPs) as potential environmental carcinogens, given their unique physical properties and poorly characterized toxicological profiles. Preliminary findings indicate that microplastics are detectable in multiple cancer types and may correlate with distinct molecular alterations, suggesting a link to carcinogenesis and highlighting a critical future direction for environmental cancer research.
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Microplastic-induced carcinogenesis: Molecular mechanisms, cellular interactions, and toxicological implications
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Tiny plastic particles that we breathe, eat, and touch every day are now showing up in our blood, lungs, and other organs, and this review of existing research explains how they might contribute to cancer. Microplastics can trigger cell damage, inflammation, and disrupted signaling in ways linked to tumor growth, and they can also act like tiny rafts that ferry other harmful chemicals and toxins deeper into our bodies. While scientists haven't proven microplastics directly cause cancer in humans yet, the mounting evidence is a strong signal that reducing plastic exposure and pushing for more research should be a public health pri
From Exposure to Oncogenesis: the Role of Microplastics and Associated Pollutants in Cancer - a Literature Review
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This literature review examined the growing evidence linking microplastic exposure to cancer development. Microplastics have been found in human lung, liver, and colon tissue, and research suggests they may promote cancer through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and by carrying known carcinogens like heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants into the body.
Microplastics as emerging carcinogens: from environmental pollutants to oncogenic drivers
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This review examines growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics may play a role in cancer development, with these particles found in human tumor tissues from the lungs, colon, stomach, breast, and other organs. The particles appear to promote cancer through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disruption of key cancer-related signaling pathways. While direct proof of causation in humans is still lacking, the accumulating evidence from lab studies, animal experiments, and human tissue analysis suggests microplastics deserve serious attention as potential contributors to cancer risk.
Exposure and inhaling of microplastics: An evidence of cause of cancer
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This review examined the evidence linking microplastic inhalation to cancer risk, covering how inhaled MPs accumulate in the lungs, trigger chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage, and may contribute to lung carcinogenesis. The authors identified microplastic inhalation as an underappreciated occupational and environmental cancer risk.
Exposure and inhaling of microplastics: An evidence of cause of cancer
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This review examined microplastic inhalation as a potential cause of cancer, surveying pathways by which inhaled MP particles accumulate in lung tissue and drive oncogenic processes through inflammation, oxidative damage, and DNA strand breaks. The evidence reviewed supports classifying microplastic inhalation as an emerging environmental cancer risk factor.
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