MSGID: 1:317/3 64894272   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    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   
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   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   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by American_Institute_of_Physics. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   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   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613190832.htm   
      
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