Microplastics found for the first time in the lungs of living people

The penetration of microplastics into the lungs was something unexpected for the researchers, given that the airways are very narrow.

From microplastics to the bottom of the lungs

L’ingestion of microplastics unfortunately not uncommon. We find it in tap water, tea bags, baby bottles and even by consuming mussels. But microplastics do not only enter the digestive system, the lungs are also affected. During a study conducted at Castle Hill Hospital (England) by teams from the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School, the results of which were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, the research team analyzed the lungs of 13 patients. Among them, 11 had microplastics in their lungs.

In total, 39 microplastics were found in these 11 patients : 11 microplastics were discovered in the lower parts of the lungs, 7 in the middle parts and 21 in the lower parts. The identification of microplastics in the lower parts of the lungs is particularly troubling because medicine had always considered that nothing except air could penetrate it, the pulmonary tracts being very narrow.

39 types of microplastics were discovered in the lungs of 11 patients – © iStock.

Microplastics in the lungs: many everyday objects involved

The microplastics found corresponded to 12 different types: microplastics commonly found in packaging (shopping bags), bottles, clothing (especially nylon), ropes/strings, but also resins from roads damage, paint and tires. Interesting fact: there were many more “finds” in the lungs of men than women.

In the past, microplastics had also been located in the lung tissue of people, but no study had been able to attest to their presence in the lungs with such certainty. This study also confirms the possibility for a microplastic to penetrate the human body through the respiratory tract.a phenomenon that has been little studied today compared to the ingestion of microplastics through the mouth.