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First evidence of microplastics isolated in European citizens’ lower airway
Summary
Researchers provided the first evidence of microplastics in the lower airways of living European adults, using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 44 patients. Nearly all detected particles were microfibers averaging about 1.7 millimeters in length, with an average concentration of roughly 9 items per 100 milliliters of fluid. The findings confirm that microplastics reach deep into the human respiratory system, though the health implications require further investigation.
Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in all environmental locations, including the atmosphere. However, few studies have investigated the presence of airborne MPs in the human respiratory system. Our research purpose was to investigate these pollutants in the lower human airways of 44 adult European citizens, using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) collection as a minimally invasive method, that enables the detection of these pollutants in living patients. We studied the relationship between the patients' life habits and physiological parameters, based on background information and medical and occupational history, and the concentration of MPs isolated from their respiratory systems. Our results indicate that most MPs were in the form of microfibers (MFs) (97.06%), with an average concentration of 9.18 ± 2.45 items/100 mL BALF, and only 5.88% (0.57 ± 0.27 items/100 mL BALF) were particulate MPs, without a significant relationship with environmental, physiological, or clinical factors. The average size was 1.73 ± 0.15 mm, with the longest dimension (9.96 mm) corresponding to a polyacrylic fiber. Taken together, the results demonstrated the occurrence of MPs in the lower human airway, although more studies are necessary to elucidate the negative effects these pollutants could induce in the human respiratory system and its associated diseases.
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