Waste
nors ; a lung study found microplastics in 11 of 13 lung samples taken from 11 patients . Virtually nothing is known about either group that would help inform the level and length of exposure — two essential attributes to determine harm . The lung study showed just how intrusive airborne particles can be . While the scientists expected to find plastic fibres in the lungs of surgical patients , they were stunned to find the highest number , of various shapes and sizes , embedded deep in the lower lung lobe . One of the fibres was two millimetres long .
Scientists aren ’ t entirely fumbling around in the dark . There is extensive research on toxins found in plastics , as well as on lung diseases , from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ), to cancer , which kill millions of people every year and have been linked to exposure to other pollutants .
We humans inhale a variety of foreign particles every day . The body ’ s first response is to find a way to expel them . Large particles in airways are typically coughed out . Mucus forms around particles further down the respiratory tract , creating a mucus “ elevator ” that propels them back up to the upper airway to be expelled . Immune cells surround those that remain to isolate them .
So , the message ?
Minimise our use of plastic as much as possible and dispose of plastic in the best ecologically safe ways we can .
St Margaret ’ s News 11 December 2022