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Traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics in air increase total and differential white blood cell counts in healthy young adults
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Researchers exposed healthy young adults to traffic-related air at three different locations and measured changes in their white blood cell counts. They found that exposure to airborne micro- and nanoplastics from tire wear was significantly associated with increases in total and differential white blood cell counts, indicating an immune response. The study provides some of the first evidence in humans that short-term exposure to traffic-related plastic particles in the air can trigger measurable changes in the immune system.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are abundant in the environment, with traffic-related tyre-wear contributing substantially to atmospheric levels. MNPs have been detected in human tissues, however, their health effects remain poorly known. Therefore, we assessed immunological and respiratory health changes associated with short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs in healthy, young adults. In a semi-controlled study design, 23 healthy subjects participated in four-hour exposure sessions at three different sites: a highway, a stop-and-go high-traffic location and an urban park. Directly before and after, and the following morning, we collected venous blood samples to assess changes in total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts. Before and directly after each visit we measured lung function and respiratory symptoms. During each exposure session, atmospheric synthetic and natural rubber particles were collected and measured using pyrolysis gas-chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry, within particles smaller than 10 µm (PM). Additionally, traffic-related combustion and brake wear-related pollutants were measured including PM, ultrafine particles, black carbon, trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Mixed model analyses were used to assess changes in WBC counts and lung function from baseline to post-exposure (pairwise differences), adjusting for time-varying and subject-dependent covariates. We observed significant associations between an interquartile range increase in multiple tyre-wear rubber markers and a 7.1-9.3 % elevation in monocytes in blood obtained immediately after exposure. Moreover, in blood obtained the following morning, these associations not only persisted but increased for monocytes (9.3-17.7 %) and were additionally found for neutrophils (7.4-14.0 %). The associations remained consistent after adjusting for other traffic-related air pollutants. Null associations were found with lung function and symptoms. Short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs was associated with an increase in total and differential WBCs. Associations might be indicative of pro-inflammatory effects in healthy people, which could lead to clinically relevant responses in vulnerable populations.
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Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers.
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Researchers had 23 healthy adults spend four hours at three outdoor sites with differing traffic levels and found that short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics (primarily tire wear) was associated with subtle immune changes the next morning, including markers suggesting mobilization of immature white blood cells, pointing to delayed resolution-phase rather than acute inflammatory responses.
Tread lightly: immuno-toxicological health effects of traffic-related polymers in healthy adults.
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Researchers studied health effects in commuters exposed to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics, primarily from tire wear, comparing outcomes between high-exposure and low-exposure groups. The study found evidence of immunotoxicological effects linked to airborne polymer particle exposure from road traffic.
Where the rubber hits the road: The health effects of traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics via inhalation
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Tiny plastic and rubber particles from tire wear, breathed in near busy roads, were linked to short-term immune cell changes in volunteers and, in a nationwide study, to higher long-term risk of death from respiratory and neurological disease. This suggests traffic pollution from tires, not just exhaust, deserves more attention in air quality policy.
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Researchers measured airborne tire and road wear particles (microplastics shed from vehicle tires) at a busy urban road, a highway, and a park, finding rubber particle concentrations were 2-5 times higher near traffic compared to the park, with levels closely tracking other traffic pollutants like black carbon.
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