Scientists have discovered microplastics in the human lung for the first time

A study, released on Wednesday (6), by Hull York School of Medicine in the United Kingdom, analyzed 13 patients and discovered the presence of microplastic particles in 11 of them. The most common materials were polypropylene, used in plastic packaging and tubes, and PET (short for polyethylene terephthalate), used in bottles.

According to the scientists who led the study, microplastics can now be considered ubiquitous on the planet, making human exposure inevitable, leading to a “growing concern about the risks” of these materials to health. The tests were conducted on patients undergoing surgery.

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Another recent study by researchers at the University of Cornell and Utah revealed that we eat between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastics annually and inhale hundreds of them. There are more than 8 million tons of plastic that we dispose of in nature, as well as in other biogeochemical cycles such as water, nitrogen and carbon, coming back to us.

In parallel, other research, by researchers at Rice University in Texas, claimed that polystyrene particles create an environment for bacteria with highly antibiotic resistance to thrive.

Brazil has some laws to combat the spread of microplastics. One of them is Law 8090/2018, written by Deputy Carlos Mink, of Rio de Janeiro, which prohibits the manufacture, distribution, marketing, import and storage of microplastic balls as well as the disposal of rivers, streams and seas in any beauty, personal hygiene and cleaning products that contain hollow or solid plastic pellets . The state was the first in the country to take such a measure.

Other countries have already enacted laws banning the manufacture of products containing these microplastic particles, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium and Sweden.

Information: Galileo