Now, microplastics, including fresh Antarctic snow, have naturally found their way into our bodies everywhere on our planet. It is thought that we breathe in 16.2 bits of microplastic every hour, which is equivalent to swallowing a credit card every week. It can be safely said that this amount of plastic is surprising. However, it is a fact that brings with it the question of where they are going.
In a new study, researchers have for the first time created a model to unravel how these tiny plastic particles are transported in the upper airways, and most importantly, where they accumulate.
Microplastics are extremely small pieces of debris formed by the disposal and shredding of plastic products. They can pose a serious risk to our health if inhaled, and there are concerns that they could have long-term effects on our bodies, especially since they accumulate inside us.
“For the first time, in 2022, research has found microplastics deep within the human respiratory tract, raising concern for serious respiratory health hazards,” said Mohammad Islam, co-author of the paper. Understanding how microplastics circulate in the respiratory tract is therefore of paramount importance, but there is a gap in the literature on this journey. Because this points to an area that has never been studied before.
Islam and co-authors sought to bridge this gap by developing a computational fluid dynamics model to explore the movement of microplastics of different shapes and sizes in the upper airways under various respiratory conditions. According to their findings, plastic particles were more likely to accumulate in the nasal cavity and oropharynx, located at the back of the throat.
“The complex and highly asymmetrical anatomical shape of the airway and the complex flow behavior in the nasal cavity and oropharynx cause microplastics to deviate from the flow path and accumulate in these areas,” says Islam. It increases the concentration of accumulation in the nasal cavities and oropharynx.
A higher flow rate resulted in less microplastic deposition, while a larger particle size (5.56 microns) led to more deposition.
Microplastics and their effects on our lungs
The researchers now want to investigate how these microplastics move in human lungs and how this may be affected by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. As microplastic formation continues to increase, they hope their current research will help inform policy decisions surrounding microplastic pollution.
“Millions of tons of these microplastic particles are found in water, air and soil. “Global production of microplastics is increasing and the concentration of microplastics in the air is increasing significantly.”
Author YuanTong Gu supports Islam, saying, “This study highlights the need for greater awareness of the presence and potential health effects of microplastics in the air we breathe.”
The study was published on Physics of Fluids.
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