Microplastics stick around in human airways

Date:
June 13, 2023
Source:
American Institute of Physics
Summary:
Inhaled microplastics can pose serious health risks, so
understanding how they travel in the respiratory system is essential
for prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases. Researchers
develop a computational fluid dynamics model to analyze microplastic
transport and deposition in the upper airway. The team explored
the movement of microplastics with different shapes and sizes and
under slow and fast breathing conditions.

Microplastics tended to collect in hot spots in the nasal cavity
and oropharynx, or back of the throat.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Research shows humans might inhale about 16.2 bits of microplastic every
hour, which is equivalent to a credit card over an entire week. And
these microplastics -- tiny debris in the environment generated from
the degradation of plastic products -- usually contain toxic pollutants
and chemicals.

Inhaled microplastics can pose serious health risks, so understanding
how they travel in the respiratory system is essential for prevention
and treatment of respiratory diseases. In Physics of Fluids, by AIP
Publishing, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney,
Western Sydney University, Urmia University, Islamic Azad University,
the University of Comilla, and Queensland University of Technology
developed a computational fluid dynamics model to analyze microplastic transport and deposition in the upper airway.

"Millions of tons of these microplastic particles have been found in
water, air, and soil. Global microplastic production is surging, and
the density of microplastics in the air is increasing significantly,"
said author Mohammad S.

Islam. "For the first time, in 2022, studies found microplastics deep
in human airways, which raises the concern of serious respiratory health hazards." The team explored the movement of microplastics with different shapes (spherical, tetrahedral, and cylindrical) and sizes (1.6, 2.56,
and 5.56 microns) and under slow and fast breathing conditions.

Microplastics tended to collect in hot spots in the nasal cavity and oropharynx, or back of the throat.

"The complicated and highly asymmetric anatomical shape of the airway
and complex flow behavior in the nasal cavity and oropharynx causes the microplastics to deviate from the flow pathline and deposit in those
areas," said Islam. "The flow speed, particle inertia, and asymmetric
anatomy influence the overall deposition and increase the deposition concentration in nasal cavities and the oropharynx area." Breathing
conditions and microplastic size influenced the overall microplastic
deposition rate in airways. An increased flow rate led to less deposition,
and the largest (5.56 micron) microplastics were deposited in the airways
more often than their smaller counterparts.

The authors believe their study highlights the real concern of exposure to
and inhalation of microplastics, particularly in areas with high levels of plastic pollution or industrial activity. They hope the results can help
inform targeted drug delivery devices and improve health risk assessment.

"This study emphasizes the need for greater awareness of the presence
and potential health impacts of microplastics in the air we breathe,"
said author YuanTong Gu.

In the future, the researchers plan to analyze microplastic transport in a large scale, patient-specific whole lung model that includes environmental parameters such as humidity and temperature.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Asthma # Lung_Disease # Diseases_and_Conditions #
Human_Biology
o Matter_&_Energy
# Nature_of_Water # Materials_Science # Quantum_Physics
# Aerospace
* RELATED_TERMS
o Common_cold o Dentistry o Obstructive_sleep_apnea o Trachea
o Upper_respiratory_tract_infection o Middle_ear o Gas_exchange
o Diphtheria

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Institute_of_Physics. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mohammad S. Islam, Md. Mizanur Rahman, Puchanee Larpruenrudee, Akbar
Arsalanloo, Hamidreza Mortazavy Beni, Md. Ariful Islam, YuanTong
Gu, Emilie Sauret. How microplastics are transported and deposited
in realistic upper airways? Physics of Fluids, 2023; 35 (6) DOI:
10.1063/ 5.0150703 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613190832.htm

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