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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Breathing plastics: Influence of airborne microplastics on the respiratory microbiome and health of human lungs (Review)
ClearMicroplastics exposed by respiratory tract and exacerbation of community-acquired pneumonia: The potential influences of respiratory microbiota and inflammatory factors
Researchers found that microplastics were present in the lungs of pneumonia patients, and that patients with severe pneumonia had higher levels of microplastics in their airways than those with milder cases. The microplastics appeared to worsen lung infections by disrupting the balance of airway bacteria and increasing inflammation. This study provides early evidence that inhaled microplastics may make respiratory infections more dangerous in humans.
Airborne microplastics: Consequences to human health?
Researchers reviewed existing evidence on airborne microplastics and their potential effects on human respiratory health. Studies of workers exposed to plastic fibers and particles have documented airway inflammation and breathing difficulties, suggesting that susceptible individuals may face health risks even from environmental concentrations. The paper calls for greater awareness and future research into the health consequences of inhaling microplastic particles.
Respiratory Toxicity of Microplastics: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Future Threats
This review summarized the respiratory toxicity of airborne microplastics, covering their sources, the routes by which they penetrate deep into lung tissue, and the range of clinical outcomes from chronic inflammation to potential malignancy. The authors warn that inhalation exposure represents an underappreciated and growing public health threat.
Respiratory Toxicity of Microplastics: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Future Threats
This review examined the mechanisms by which inhaled airborne microplastics cause respiratory harm, including inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and impaired mucociliary clearance. The authors also discuss emerging evidence linking microplastic inhalation to worsening asthma, COPD, and potentially lung cancer.
Airborne microplastics: A narrative review of potential effects on the human respiratory system
This review consolidates research on airborne microplastics and their potential effects on the human respiratory system. Studies show that inhaled microplastics can deposit in the lungs, trigger inflammation, cause oxidative stress, and lead to cell damage and death. While human exposure evidence is still limited, animal and cell studies suggest that long-term inhalation of airborne microplastics could pose significant risks to lung health.
Airborne micro- and nanoplastics: emerging causes of respiratory diseases
This review examines growing evidence that tiny airborne plastic particles can enter the lungs and trigger or worsen respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung inflammation. The smallest nanoplastics are especially concerning because they can penetrate deep into lung tissue and even enter the bloodstream, yet research on airborne plastic health effects significantly lags behind studies on waterborne exposure.
Microplastics inhalation and their effects on human health: a systematic review
This systematic review examines how breathing in microplastics affects human health. It finds that airborne microplastics can reach the lungs and may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and respiratory issues, with workers in textile and plastic industries facing the highest exposure levels.
Microplastics, potential threat to patients with lung diseases
This review examines the potential threat that airborne microplastics pose to people with existing lung conditions, noting that these particles have been found in human lung tissue and sputum. Researchers explored possible mechanisms by which inhaled microplastics could worsen lung diseases, including triggering inflammation and oxidative stress. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps and calls for more research into how microplastic inhalation affects respiratory health.
A systematic review of the effects of airborne microplastic contamination on human lungs
This systematic review summarizes research showing that airborne microplastics have a negative effect on human lungs. Humans are estimated to inhale roughly 100,000 fine plastic particles every day, and the evidence suggests this exposure contributes to respiratory health problems, underscoring the need for policies to reduce plastic pollution in the air we breathe.
Human Exposure to Airborne Microplastics: A Study on Detection and Potential Health Effects Using BAL Fluid
This study detected inhaled microplastics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the lower respiratory tract of human patients and found associations between microplastic presence and markers of lung inflammation and impaired lung function.
Deleterious effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on rodent lungs: a systematic review
This systematic review summarizes research on how inhaled micro- and nanoplastics affect the lungs in animal studies. The findings show these particles can cause lung inflammation, tissue damage, and immune responses, suggesting that breathing in airborne microplastics may pose real risks to respiratory health.
Airborne microplastics: a Trojan horse for respiratory dysfunction and multiorgan damage
This review examined evidence on airborne microplastics as a route of human exposure, focusing on how inhaled particles may affect respiratory function and potentially reach other organs. The study suggests that microplastics can act as carriers for other pollutants and pathogens, and that inhalation exposure warrants greater research attention alongside the more commonly studied ingestion pathway.
Airborne microplastics and their impact on human health: A critical review
This review analyzes the growing body of research on microplastics floating in indoor and outdoor air and their potential effects on human health. Evidence indicates that inhaled microplastics can trigger inflammatory responses and cellular damage in the lungs, liver, and reproductive system, and may carry toxic additives deeper into the body. The authors call for more interdisciplinary research to understand the long-term health implications of breathing in these tiny plastic particles.
Microplastics as environmental modifiers of lung disease
This review examines growing evidence that inhaled microplastics may contribute to lung diseases including asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers found that different plastic types, sizes, and weathering states can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular changes in lung tissue, suggesting microplastics may act as environmental modifiers that worsen respiratory conditions.
Airborne Microplastics: Another Threatening to Our Health
This review examines the emerging evidence on airborne microplastics, covering their sources, how they travel through the atmosphere, and how they enter the human respiratory system through inhalation. Researchers highlight potential health effects including pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, with particle size influencing how deeply they penetrate into the lungs. The study calls for standardized measurement protocols and urgent interdisciplinary research to better understand the health risks of breathing in microplastic particles.
Lung microbiota participated in fibrous microplastics (MPs) aggravating OVA-induced asthma disease in mice
In a mouse study, inhaling fiber-shaped microplastics significantly worsened asthma symptoms, including airway inflammation, mucus buildup, and lung tissue scarring. The microplastic fibers also disrupted the balance of bacteria living in the lungs and activated inflammatory pathways. Since fibrous microplastics are the most common airborne shape and have been found in human lungs, this research suggests they could worsen respiratory conditions like asthma in people.
Detrimental effects of microplastic exposure on normal and asthmatic pulmonary physiology
Researchers exposed both healthy and asthmatic mice to airborne microplastics and found significant lung inflammation, immune activation, and increased mucus production in both groups. Microplastic particles were taken up by immune cells called macrophages, and gene analysis revealed changes in immune response, cellular stress, and cell death pathways. The study suggests that inhaling microplastics may worsen respiratory health in both normal and vulnerable populations.
Microplastics inhalation: evidence in human lung tissue
Microplastic particles were found in human lung tissue samples collected during surgery, confirming that people inhale and retain microplastics in pulmonary tissue, with polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate among the polymers identified, raising concerns about chronic respiratory and inflammatory effects.
An emerging class of air pollutants: Potential effects of microplastics to respiratory human health?
This review explores the emerging concern that airborne microplastics can be inhaled by humans, potentially causing adverse effects on the respiratory system. Researchers compiled available data on the concentration, size, shape, and chemical composition of microplastic particles found in urban air. The findings suggest that airborne plastic debris represents a largely understudied class of air pollutant with potential implications for human health.
Presence of airborne microplastics in human lung tissue
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.