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Study: Humans Inhale 68K Microplastics Daily Indoors

story

JUL 31

Above: Fragments of plastic on someone's fingers. Image copyright: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

story last updated AUG 1

The Spin

Narrative A

These findings represent a critical public health discovery that demands immediate attention. The 100-fold increase in estimated daily microplastic inhalation reveals a massive underestimation of indoor air pollution risks. With people spending 90% of their time indoors, this invisible threat could be causing widespread respiratory inflammation, endocrine disruption and increased disease risk without anyone realizing it.

Respiratory-Therapy Plos One

Narrative B

While the study raises concerns, the methodology has significant limitations that question its broader applicability. The research analyzed only 16 samples, making this a small-scale study that one cannot draw firm conclusions from. Studies about plastics can engender much hysteria, as evidenced by the uproar over recently a popular yet flawed study about flame retardants, and impede rational thought.

The Strategist PHYS