Keywords: Lung Health, Air Pollution, Toxic Plastics
New peer-reviewed research reveals that every breath indoors — at home or in cars — likely contains significant amounts of microplastics, small enough to lodge deep in the lungs and spread throughout the body.
The study, published in PLOS One, estimates humans may inhale up to 68,000 plastic particles a day. Unlike larger airborne fragments, these microscopic bits — just 1–10 micrometres wide, about one-seventh the thickness of a hair — can embed in tissue, cross into the bloodstream, and reach vital organs.
“We were quite surprised by the levels we found — much higher than previously estimated,” said co-author Nadiia Yakovenko of the University of Toulouse. “Their small size makes them dangerous, as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system.”
Microplastics — produced intentionally for goods or shed as larger plastics break down — carry some of 16,000 chemicals, many linked to severe health risks, including BPA, phthalates, and PFAS. These particles have been found across the human body, even crossing the placental and the blood-brain barrier.
Air was once overlooked as a significant exposure route, but this research confirms it as a hidden threat. Beyond ingestion through food and water, inhaled microplastics are now tied to chronic lung inflammation, raising risks of respiratory disease and cancer.
The message is stark: plastic pollution is not just an environmental crisis — it is already a daily, intimate assault on human health. Read More
News Credit: The Guardian
Picture Credit: pcess609/Getty Images/iStockphoto