World's First Identification of Microplastics in Nose Mucosal Tissue
Jan 07, 2025
For the first time in the world, it has been found that microplastics exist in human nasal tissue.
Professor Min Hyun-jin of the Department of Otolaryngology at Chung-Ang University Hospital and Dr. Jinyoung Jung of the Korea Research Institute of Biotechnology (KRIBB) recently published a research paper that analyzed the identification and characteristics of microplastics in human nasal tissue samples through joint research.
The research team collected samples from the preoperative nasal hair, the mid-nose shelf inside the nose, the lower nose shelf, the nasopharyngeal fluid, and the middle nasopharyngeal fluid area, respectively, to analyze the presence and characteristics of microplastics under a microscope and their chemical characteristics among patients who agreed to participate in the study at Chung-Ang University Hospital.
As a result, it was confirmed that a total of 390 microplastics were detected at five sites of a total of 10 nasal samples.
The number of microplastics found in each area was identified as 86 nasal hairs (NH), 93 habi armor (IT), 51 median armor (MT), 129 nasopharyngeal fluids (NF), and 31 median nasal fluids (MNCF).
The main types of plastic were polyethylene (PE), polyester, acrylic polymer, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polystyrene copolymer, PS copolymer, polyethylene polypropylene copolymer (PE?PP copolymer), and polyurethane (PU).
Most of these microplastics (90.77%) were in the form of fragments, and fibers were only 9.23%.
As a result, the research team identified significant microplastic (MP) particles in human nasal samples, including nasal hair (NH), Harvey Gap (IT), medium nasogastric (MT), nasopharyngeal fluid (NF), and medium nasal cavity (MNCF), and revealed the characteristics of the detected microplastic particles for the first time.
Professor Min Hyun-jin said "In general, plastic pieces smaller than 5mm are called microplastics. As the use of plastic increases due to industrialization, microplastics are created through the decomposition of plastic pieces or in the production process of various industries. Recently, there has been a lot of interest and research on the possibility of microplastics in the natural environment being absorbed into the human body and their impact on the human body after being absorbed.".
Microplastics are reported to cause cell damage and toxicity, and can cause excessive immune responses, causing inflammation in the respiratory tract including the nose, worsening respiratory diseases such as rhinitis, bronchitis, and asthma and lowering lung function.
Professor Min Hyun-jin then explained, `So far, very few studies have reported the existence and characteristics of microplastics in the human nasal cavity, and for the first time, there have been no reports of microplastics in real human nasal mucosal tissuesBased on this study, we believe that further studies on the effects on the human body are needed along with future studies on the detection of microplastics in the nasal cavity.
Meanwhile, this research paper by Professor Min Hyun-jin's team was published in the latest issue of the SCIE-level international journal 『Allergy and Rhinology』, the highest journal in the otolaryngology category based on the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).
Professor Min Hyun-jin of the Department of Otolaryngology at Chung-Ang University Hospital and Dr. Jinyoung Jung of the Korea Research Institute of Biotechnology (KRIBB) recently published a research paper that analyzed the identification and characteristics of microplastics in human nasal tissue samples through joint research.
The research team collected samples from the preoperative nasal hair, the mid-nose shelf inside the nose, the lower nose shelf, the nasopharyngeal fluid, and the middle nasopharyngeal fluid area, respectively, to analyze the presence and characteristics of microplastics under a microscope and their chemical characteristics among patients who agreed to participate in the study at Chung-Ang University Hospital.
As a result, it was confirmed that a total of 390 microplastics were detected at five sites of a total of 10 nasal samples.
The number of microplastics found in each area was identified as 86 nasal hairs (NH), 93 habi armor (IT), 51 median armor (MT), 129 nasopharyngeal fluids (NF), and 31 median nasal fluids (MNCF).
The main types of plastic were polyethylene (PE), polyester, acrylic polymer, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polystyrene copolymer, PS copolymer, polyethylene polypropylene copolymer (PE?PP copolymer), and polyurethane (PU).
Most of these microplastics (90.77%) were in the form of fragments, and fibers were only 9.23%.
As a result, the research team identified significant microplastic (MP) particles in human nasal samples, including nasal hair (NH), Harvey Gap (IT), medium nasogastric (MT), nasopharyngeal fluid (NF), and medium nasal cavity (MNCF), and revealed the characteristics of the detected microplastic particles for the first time.
Professor Min Hyun-jin said "In general, plastic pieces smaller than 5mm are called microplastics. As the use of plastic increases due to industrialization, microplastics are created through the decomposition of plastic pieces or in the production process of various industries. Recently, there has been a lot of interest and research on the possibility of microplastics in the natural environment being absorbed into the human body and their impact on the human body after being absorbed.".
Microplastics are reported to cause cell damage and toxicity, and can cause excessive immune responses, causing inflammation in the respiratory tract including the nose, worsening respiratory diseases such as rhinitis, bronchitis, and asthma and lowering lung function.
Professor Min Hyun-jin then explained, `So far, very few studies have reported the existence and characteristics of microplastics in the human nasal cavity, and for the first time, there have been no reports of microplastics in real human nasal mucosal tissuesBased on this study, we believe that further studies on the effects on the human body are needed along with future studies on the detection of microplastics in the nasal cavity.
Meanwhile, this research paper by Professor Min Hyun-jin's team was published in the latest issue of the SCIE-level international journal 『Allergy and Rhinology』, the highest journal in the otolaryngology category based on the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
