Microplastics are not only in the seas, fish or cosmetics: we breathe them every day, without realizing it. According to a study just published in the magazine Plos Onewe can get to inhale up to 68,000 plastic particles per day. They are so small that they penetrate deeply into the lungs, and from there in our bloodstream.
This discovery was a team of researchers from the University of Toulouse, who analyzed the air in different homes and cars. And what they have found is much more worrying than you thought so far.
The study focused on the air that we breathe in closed environments, such as apartments and cars. The researchers measured the microplastics present in various rooms and in the passenger compartment of moving cars. The result? The indoor concentrations are much higher than the external air, because we spend 90% of our time indoors and we are surrounded by plastic.
Each plastic object we have at home-synthetic clothes, rugs, kitchen utensils, furnishings-continuously releases micro-particles. And just walk, sit or open a window to lift them again in the air. “Any movement creates vibrations that send her back into suspension,” explained the researcher Nadiia Yakovenko, co -author of the study.
In the case of cars, the situation is even more serious: the air inside a car can contain up to four times more microplastic than a house. The interiors of the cars are full of plastic materials – from the dashboard to the steering wheel – and ventilation is often poor. Scientists managed to connect the particles found in the air precisely to the plastic materials used in the components of the car.
They are small as dust, but they can go up to the blood and the brain
The size of the particles range from 1 to 10 micrometers, that is, there are about seven times thinner than a human hair. So tiny that it is easily inhaled and brought to the deep tissues of the lungs, where they can cause chronic inflammation. Over time, these inflammations can lead to more serious problems, such as lung tumors.
But that’s not all. Microplastics can overcome biological barriers, reaching the placenta and brain. They contain thousands of chemicals – including BPA, Ftalati and Pfas – many of which are already known for their toxic effects on the human body.
“The fact that they are so small means that they can enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more dangerous than you thought,” explains Yakovenko. And while so far it was thought that food and water were the main sources of exposure, this study shows that the air could represent an even more insidious path.
Can we protect ourselves?
Eliminating plastic from our life completely is (unfortunately) impossible. But there are ways to reduce daily exposure to microplastics suspended in the air. Researchers advise to prefer natural materials such as wood, metal, cotton and linen, when possible. Avoid synthetic products, especially in home textiles, can make a concrete difference.
Even cleanly clean the rooms with vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter and sprinkle with humid cloths helps to capture the particles before they return to the circle. And if we use air purifiers with HEPA filters, we can improve the air quality at home effectively.
For cars, the question is more complicated: open the windows helps to ventilate, but it can also bring the microplastics released by the wear of the tires on the asphalt. The best strategy is to limit the plastic sources as much as possible and, when possible, choose vehicles with interiors made with alternative materials.
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