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Research raises serious questions about the impact of air pollution on the body A new study by scientists from University College Dublin School of Medicine, presented at the European Respiratory Society congress, has brought new data on the presence of microplastics in human lungs. The results showed that patients with lung cancer had more frequent microplastic particles and a greater load of them than people without this diagnosis. However, the authors emphasize that the study does not prove that microplastics cause cancer. Out of 100 patients, half were diagnosed with lung cancer \u2013 Microplastics have become an almost inevitable part of our environment, but we still know very little about what happens after it enters the body. to man. We don't know what normal levels are in the lungs, how much they vary from person to person, or whether they contribute to disease. If we inhale these particles every day, we need to understand where they end up and if they can be linked to disease, said Dr. Ilias Dimeas from University College Dublin School of Medicine and University of Thessaly. The research involved 100 people who underwent bronchoscopy due to pulmonary symptoms at the University Hospital of Larissa, in Greece. A pulmonary lavage sample was taken from each, while a small sample of lung tissue was also taken from half. The samples were analyzed for the presence of microplastics and, in some of them, for the types of plastic. Of the 100 patients, 50 were later diagnosed with lung cancer, while 50 were not. In all samples combined, the researchers found 232 microplastic particles. In 70 percent of patients, microplastics were detected in at least one sample\u2014pulmonary lavage, lung tissue, or both. When the results were analyzed together, lung cancer patients were more likely to have detectable microplastics and a greater overall burden compared to patients without cancer. In lung lavage samples, microplastics were detected in 66 percent of patients with cancer, compared to 46 percent of those without the disease. The researchers also noticed that the distribution of particles was not uniform: in some patients, more microplastics were found in the lung lavage and less in the tissue, while in others the opposite happened. This may indicate that different parts of the lungs retain particles in different ways. Polypropylene and polyethylene most common The analysis showed that polypropylene and polyethylene were the most common types of plastic. They are widely used in packaging, textiles, household materials and many products of daily consumption. According to dr. Dimeas, the results show that inhaled microplastics can be found in human lungs more often than previously thought. But he cautions that the study can't tell why more microplastics were found in cancer patients. One possibility is that the particles affect inflammation or other biological processes; another is that diseased lungs simply retain them differently than healthy lungs. The team is also analyzing samples from patients with chronic lung diseases, to see if microplastics can be related to pulmonary fibrosis and disease progression. Prof. Barbara Hoffmann from the University of D\u00fcsseldorf recalled that smoking remains the main cause of lung cancer, while air pollution is also known as a factor that can cause this cancer and contribute to other respiratory diseases.<\/p>\n
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