In recent years, microplastics are among the issues that threaten human health. Particles of very, very small – sometimes invisible to the naked eye – plastics we know have been found in our blood and even in our brains in previous studies. A new study reveals that concrete steps must be taken against microplastics.
A study conducted in 2022 revealed that microplastics can reach deep into the respiratory tract. A new study published in the journal “Physics of Fluids” revealed that the amount of microplastics transmitted to the respiratory tract is far beyond estimates. Let’s take a closer look at this stunning research.
“Every week, a credit card-sized microplastic enters the airways”
Research by a group of scientists from Australia, Iran and Bangladesh developed a special model to detect how microplastics are transported and accumulated in the upper respiratory tract. Then, simulating this model with microplastics of different sizes and types, the experts reached a remarkable conclusion. A human could inhale as little as 16.2 bits of microplastic per hour. That means breathing in enough microplastics to create a credit card in a week.
Of course, there is one thing here. The research doesn’t mean that every person breathes the same level of microplastics. After all, the release of microplastics is not the same all over the world. Mohammad S. Islam, one of the authors of the study, stated that when the respiratory rate increases, the amount of microplastics accumulated in the upper respiratory tract is less. However, microplastics with a size of 5.56 microns (the largest size used in the study) were more abundant in the upper respiratory tract. What about the others? They went to the larynx, trachea, and lungs…
Places where microplastics accumulate were also detected!
The research also revealed where microplastics accumulate most in the upper respiratory tract. Accordingly, the microplastics we inhaled were mostly accumulated in the nasal cavity and the oropharynx, which includes the soft palate, tonsils, pharynx and root of the tongue.
“This study highlights the need for greater awareness of the presence and potential effects of microplastics in the air we breathe,” said YuanTong Gu, one of the scientists involved in the study. He made it clear that this issue should be taken seriously.
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