For the first time, researchers find microplastics deep in the lungs of living people

There is plastic debris at the beach.

Andrew Selsky/AP

Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic debris that come as a result of the disposal of industrial waste, have been found in the lungs of living humans for the first time.

The research was done at Hull York Medical School in England and was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. In the past, the plastic has been found in human blood, excrement, and in the depths of the ocean.

The paper's lead author said that microplastics have previously been found in human autopsy samples.

We did not expect to find the highest number of particles in the lower regions of the lungs.

It is surprising as the airways are smaller in the lower parts of the lungs, and we would have expected particles of these sizes to be trapped before entering the lungs.

Researchers collected lung tissue from surgical patients as part of their routine medical care.

Microplastics are found in bottles, packaging, clothing and twine along with other manufacturing processes. The microplastics were made from polyethylene, nylon and resins.

The study notes an increasing concern with the dangers of eating and inhaling microplastics.

The world produces 300 million metric tons of plastic a year and 80% of it ends up in the environment. Microplastics can be as small as 10 nanometers and as large as 5 millimeters in diameter. The tiny particles can be found floating in the air, in tap or bottled water, or in the sea.

The study found the plastic in stool samples after subjects were fed a regular diet. Plastic particles were found in human blood.

Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said that this is proof that we have plastic in our body.