Research has identified microplastics as potential contributors to various cancers, including colon and lung cancer, alongside other health issues like infertility. A review of over 3,000 studies suggests these tiny plastic particles, found in air, water, and food, disrupt the body’s systems, causing inflammation and tissue damage. Particularly alarming is the rising incidence of colon cancer among younger demographics and non-smokers facing increasing lung cancer rates. Microplastics may compromise reproductive health and have been linked to low birth weight and premature births. Findings call for urgent regulatory action to address the health risks posed by microplastics.
Extensive scientific research may have discovered potential causes of many cancers that cannot be explained by genetics, diet, or lifestyle.
After reviewing more than 3,000 studies on microplastics, researchers concluded that these tiny toxins are linked to lung and colon cancer, as well as other lung diseases and infertility.
This could have important implications because, unlike dozens of cancers that are on the decline, colon cancer is on the rise, especially among young people who are usually not at risk.
Similarly, lung cancers that are not caused by tobacco are on the rise, a trend that is also perplexing experts.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5mm in diameter released by consumer products such as food containers, clothing toys, packaging, cigarette filters, and tires.
They contaminate the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink, and are found in virtually every major human organ, where they When the immune system recognizes it as a foreign invader, widespread inflammation occurs.
This can cause a myriad of medical problems, including tissue damage and inflammation in the liver and heart, and over time, accumulation in the body can lead to irreversible damage.
California researchers have concluded that exposure to microplastics is “likely” to play a role in colon cancer, ovarian function, sperm quality and respiratory diseases, including lung cancer.
Researchers link microplastics to lung and colon cancer, as well as other lung diseases and infertility (stock image)
California resident Raquel (left) was 28 years old when doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 colon cancer. Evan White (right) from Alabama was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 24. Four years later, she died just weeks before her wedding.
Previous studies have also found the substance in people’s brains and women’s placentas, and microplastic exposure is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system $289 billion annually.
And plastic production is expected to triple by 2060, researchers at the University of California said.Due to the ubiquitous exposure and bioaccumulative properties of microplastics, the extent to which microplastic exposure affects human health is of great concern.
The review, published earlier this month in ACS Publications Environmental Science & Technology, looked at nearly 3,000 animal and human studies that investigated the association between microplastic exposure and health effects in the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. analyzed the research.
These studies show a strong link between microplastics and changes in the digestive system and colon cancer, as microplastics can disrupt the colon’s protective mucus layer and promote tumor development. It suggests something.
“We conclude that exposure to microplastics is ‘likely’ to have adverse effects on the human colon and small intestine,” the researchers wrote.
They also write that microplastics are “suspected” of causing cell death and chronic inflammation in the intestines, which can negatively impact the gut’s immune system.
Overall, the researchers concluded that, “Using key features of the carcinogen approach, our results demonstrate that exposure to microplastics poses a risk to the human digestive tract, including a suspected link to colon cancer.” I have identified what I “doubt”. ” he said.
Microplastics affect fertility because they can potentially affect hormonal balance in the reproductive system, damage sperm quality and number in men, and affect ovarian and placenta function in women. There is also a suspicion that it will give.
One study found a link between microplastics detected in the placenta and low birth weight, and another found a link between microplastics in amniotic fluid and premature birth.
And exposure to microplastics is associated with worsened ovarian function and development.
Additionally, the review concluded that “exposure to microplastics is ‘likely’ to have an adverse effect on human sperm quality and testicular health.” ” states.
The UC team also found a link between microplastics and reduced lung function, with the particles causing inflammation in the airways.
These particles can cause lung damage and chronic lung inflammation, increasing the risk of lung cancer.
Carly Barrett from Kentucky was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 24 after experiencing blood in her stool and abdominal pain.
The researchers further confirmed that “well-evaluated results indicate that exposure to microplastics is ‘likely’ to pose a risk to the human respiratory system.” ” he added.
Commenting on the study’s findings, lead author Tracy J. Woodruff, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, said, “These microplastics are essentially particulate air pollution; “We know that pollution is harmful.”
“Microplastics are widely distributed and mobile in the environment, and have been detected in the air, surface waters, coastal beaches, sediments, and food,” the researchers wrote.
“They are found in remote and pristine locations such as Antarctica, deep ocean trenches, and Arctic sea ice.
“Due to their small size, microplastics enter and are distributed within the human body more easily compared to larger particles. Microplastics have been measured in the human placenta, breast milk, and liver.
Every year, companies around the world produce approximately 460 million tons of plastic. It is predicted to reach 1.1 billion people by 2050.
This paper is the first systematic review of microplastics using gold standard methods approved by the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Bryant Lin, a primary care physician and professor at Stanford University, was studying the mysterious rise in lung cancer in non-smokers…then he contracted the very disease he was studying.
Although most of the studies in the review are based on animals, the researchers said the conclusions likely apply to humans as well, since they share many of the same exposures.
The study expands on a report the researchers worked on last year in collaboration with the California Policy Evidence Consortium (CalSPEC).
The consortium includes experts from across the UC system and will provide evidence to policymakers in the California Legislature.
“We call on regulators and policy leaders to consider the growing evidence of health risks caused by microplastics, including colon and lung cancer,” said Dr Nicolas Chartres.
Mr Chartres, lead author of the study, leads PRHE’s science and policy team and is currently based at the University of Sydney.
“We hope that state leaders will take immediate action to prevent further infections.”
