New research clarifies the deposition of Microplastics in the respiratory tract

Science Popularization BaseScience and Technology Daily, Beijing, June 14 (Reporter Zhang Jiaxin) Research shows that humans may inhale about 16.2 pieces of Microplastics every hour, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic inhaled by a credit card in a week

Science Popularization Base

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, June 14 (Reporter Zhang Jiaxin) Research shows that humans may inhale about 16.2 pieces of Microplastics every hour, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic inhaled by a credit card in a week. These Microplastics usually contain toxic pollutants and chemicals, which may cause serious health risks after inhalation. Therefore, understanding how they spread in the respiratory system is crucial to prevent and treat Respiratory disease. According to a paper published in the Journal of Fluid Physics on the 13th, an international research team from University of Technology Sydney in Australia, Umia University in Iran, and Komira University in Bangladesh developed a computational fluid dynamics model to analyze the transmission and deposition characteristics of Microplastics in the upper respiratory tract.

The team studied the movement of Microplastics with different shapes (spherical, tetrahedral and cylindrical) and sizes (1.6, 2.56 and 5.56 microns in diameter) under slow and rapid breathing conditions. Microplastics tend to gather in the nasal cavity, oropharynx or the hot spot at the back of the throat.

The researchers explained that the complex and highly asymmetric shape of the respiratory tract, coupled with the complex flow behavior of the nasal cavity and oropharynx, led to Microplastics deviating from the flow path and depositing in these areas. The flow velocity, inertia and asymmetric shape of particles affect the overall deposition of Microplastics, and increase its deposition concentration in the nasal cavity and oropharyngeal region.

In 2022, scientists found Microplastics in the depth of human respiratory tract for the first time, which caused people to worry about serious respiratory health hazards.

The researchers stressed that people need to be more aware of the presence of Microplastics in the air and its potential impact on health. They hope that this result can provide reference for targeted drug delivery systems and improve health risk assessment.

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