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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Breathing under siege: a narrative review on the potential biological mechanisms linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to lung diseases
ClearRespiratory 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.
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.
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.
A particle of concern: explored and proposed underlying mechanisms of microplastic-induced lung damage and pulmonary fibrosis
This paper explores how inhaled microplastics may cause lung damage and scarring (pulmonary fibrosis) through several biological pathways. The research identifies signaling pathways that could be targeted for future treatments to reduce microplastic-induced lung damage. This is relevant to human health because people regularly breathe in airborne microplastic particles.
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.
Micro- and Nanoplastic-Induced Respiratory Disease and Dysfunction: A Scoping Review
A systematic scoping review of 68 studies found that inhaled micro- and nanoplastics are detected in human lung tissue and associated with pulmonary inflammation, fibrosis, and impaired lung function, though most evidence comes from occupational settings and in vitro experiments.
Breathing plastics: Influence of airborne microplastics on the respiratory microbiome and health of human lungs (Review)
Researchers reviewed evidence showing that inhaled airborne microplastics can physically interact with the microbial community living in human lungs, disrupting its balance and triggering inflammation linked to conditions like asthma and fibrosis. Because microplastic particles have been found in lung tissue and fluid samples, inhalation is now recognized as a significant exposure route with measurable consequences for respiratory health.
Lung hazards of microplastics and their toxicological mechanisms
This review summarizes eight key mechanisms by which microplastics cause lung injury, including oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and disruption of the immune response. Researchers explain how the small size and large surface area of microplastics allow them to evade respiratory clearance and deposit deep in lung tissue. The study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how inhaled microplastics may contribute to respiratory health problems.
Microplastic and plastic pollution: impact on respiratory disease and health
This review pulls together evidence from lab studies, animal experiments, and workplace exposure research showing that inhaled micro- and nanoplastics can affect lung tissue and may contribute to respiratory diseases. However, the authors stress that it remains unclear how much damage occurs at the levels of plastic particles people actually breathe in daily life, highlighting the need for better measurements of real-world exposure.
The Effect of Nanoplastics and Microplastics on Lung Morphology and Physiology: a Systematic Review
This systematic review examines how inhaled microplastics and nanoplastics affect lung structure and function. The research found that indoor microplastic concentrations are often higher than outdoor levels due to household materials shedding fibers, and that inhaled particles can accumulate in different parts of the lungs. These findings suggest that breathing in plastic particles at home and work could contribute to respiratory health problems over time.
Atmospheric microplastics: exposure, toxicity, and detrimental health effects
This review summarizes what is known about microplastics in the air, including their sources, how they travel, and their effects on human health when inhaled or swallowed. Airborne microplastics come from synthetic textiles, road dust, construction materials, and industrial processes, and can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the lungs and other organs. The authors conclude that atmospheric microplastics represent an underappreciated route of human exposure that deserves more research and regulation.
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.
Health outcomes attributed to inhalation of microplastic released from mask during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review
This systematic review examined how face masks worn during COVID-19 release microplastics that can be inhaled. The most common particles were polypropylene fibers smaller than 300 micrometers. Inhaled microplastics were linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and potential cancer risk. These findings highlight a lesser-known health trade-off of widespread mask use during the pandemic.
Silent invaders: the role of MPs on epithelium inflammation and damage in airway diseases
This review examines how inhaled microplastics and nanoplastics interact with airway epithelial surfaces and trigger inflammatory, oxidative, and structural changes that may contribute to respiratory diseases. The study describes how these particles activate key inflammatory pathways such as NF-kB and PI3K/Akt/mTOR, potentially worsening conditions like asthma and COPD through enhanced barrier dysfunction, oxidative stress, and disrupted tissue repair.
Inhaled microplastics and lung health: Immunopathological effects and disease implications
This review examines the molecular mechanisms by which inhaled microplastics damage lung health, focusing on oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune disruption. Researchers found that microplastics trigger reactive oxygen species production, deplete antioxidants, impair mitochondrial function, and compromise immune defenses in lung tissue. The evidence indicates that microplastics may also act as carriers for other toxic pollutants, amplifying respiratory health risks.
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.
Impact of indoor building air microplastics on human living environment health: A biomechanical perspective
This review examines how indoor microplastics—shed from textiles, coatings, and plastic products—enter the body through inhalation, skin contact, and ingestion, and what health risks they pose from a biomechanical perspective. Evidence suggests that inhaled particles accumulate in the lungs and may trigger respiratory inflammation, allergic reactions, and chronic disease, with potential systemic effects via the bloodstream.
Air pollution and its impacts on health: Focus on microplastics and nanoplastics
This review summarizes how airborne micro- and nanoplastics enter the body through breathing, eating, and skin contact, contributing to health risks alongside traditional air pollutants. Plastic particles have been found in human blood, vein tissues, and lungs, and their presence in fine particulate matter in urban air may worsen the inflammation, oxidative stress, and respiratory and heart disease risks already associated with air pollution.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Environmental Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Potential Hazards for Human Health
This review covers how microplastics and nanoplastics enter humans through food, air, and skin contact, accumulating in the body over time. Inhaled particles can damage the lungs from the upper airways down to the deepest air sacs, and prolonged exposure has been linked to chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, atherosclerosis, and cancer. The authors call for source reduction, material substitution, and better filtration to reduce exposure.
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.
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.
Exposure to environmental xenobiotics and lung tissue function: A comprehensive review on biological mechanisms and pathways
This comprehensive review examines how environmental pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds damage lung tissue through mechanisms like oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of cellular barriers. The study suggests these pollutants contribute to chronic respiratory diseases and highlights how they can also cause epigenetic changes that may affect future generations.
Effect of microplastics deposition on human lung airways: A review with computational benefits and challenges
This review examines how microplastics deposited in human lungs can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced lung function. Because these tiny particles can reach deep into the lungs where oxygen enters the blood, they raise concerns about long-term respiratory disease and the possibility of spreading to other organs.
Newly Emerging Airborne Pollutants: Current Knowledge of Health Impact of Micro and Nanoplastics
This review examines microplastics and nanoplastics as emerging airborne pollutants, with sources including synthetic textiles, rubber tires, and furniture. Researchers found that while microplastics can reach the lungs, nanoplastics are small enough to cross into the bloodstream, potentially increasing health risks. Evidence from workers exposed to PVC and synthetic fibers suggests that long-term inhalation may lead to persistent inflammation and lung damage.