Article
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Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Environmental Sources
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Presence of airborne microplastics in human lung tissue
Journal of Hazardous Materials2021
1155 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 65
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Luís Fernando Amato‐Lourenço,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Gabriel Ribeiro Júnior,
Gabriel Ribeiro Júnior,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Luciana dos Santos Galvão,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Rômulo A. Ando,
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Rômulo A. Ando,
Thaís Mauad
Regiani Carvalho-Oliveira,
Thaís Mauad
Summary
Researchers examined human lung tissue from autopsies and found microplastic particles and fibers in 13 out of 20 samples. The most common plastics were polyethylene and polypropylene, with particles smaller than 5.5 micrometers. This study provides direct evidence that inhaled microplastics accumulate in human lungs, raising concerns about potential long-term effects on respiratory health.
Plastics are ubiquitously used by societies, but most of the plastic waste is deposited in landfills and in the natural environment. Their degradation into submillimetre fragments, called microplastics, is a growing concern due to potential adverse effects on the environment and human health. Microplastics are present in the air and may be inhaled by humans, but whether they have deleterious effects on the respiratory system remain unknown. In this study, we determined the presence of microplastics in human lung tissues obtained at autopsies. Polymeric particles (n = 33) and fibres (n = 4) were observed in 13 of 20 tissue samples. All polymeric particles were smaller than 5.5 µm in size, and fibres ranged from 8.12 to 16.8 µm. The most frequently determined polymers were polyethylene and polypropylene. Deleterious health outcomes may be related to the heterogeneous characteristics of these contaminants in the respiratory system following inhalation.