Li Yue, Tao Le, Wang Qiong, Wang Fengbang, Li Gang, Song Maoyong
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
Key Laboratory of Environmental Nanotechnology and Health Effects, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
Environ Health (Wash). 2023 Aug 10;1(4):249-257. doi: 10.1021/envhealth.3c00052. eCollection 2023 Oct 20.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in the global environment. As a typical emerging pollutant, its potential health hazards have been widely concerning. In this brief paper, we introduce the source, identification, toxicity, and health hazard of microplastics in the human. The literature review shows that microplastics are frequently detected in environmental and human samples. Humans are potentially exposed to microplastics through oral intake, inhalation, and skin contact. We summarize the toxic effects of microplastics in experimental models like cells, organoids, and animals. These effects consist of oxidative stress, DNA damage, organ dysfunction, metabolic disorder, immune response, neurotoxicity, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity. In addition, the epidemiological evidence suggests that a variety of chronic diseases may be related to microplastics exposure. Finally, we put forward the gaps in toxicity research of microplastics and their future development directions. This review will be helpful to the understanding of the exposure risk and potential health hazards of microplastics.
微塑料在全球环境中无处不在。作为一种典型的新兴污染物，其潜在的健康危害已受到广泛关注。在这篇简短的论文中，我们介绍了微塑料在人体中的来源、识别、毒性及健康危害。文献综述表明，在环境和人体样本中经常检测到微塑料。人类可能通过口服、吸入和皮肤接触接触到微塑料。我们总结了微塑料在细胞、类器官和动物等实验模型中的毒性作用。这些作用包括氧化应激、DNA损伤、器官功能障碍、代谢紊乱、免疫反应、神经毒性以及生殖和发育毒性。此外，流行病学证据表明，多种慢性疾病可能与微塑料暴露有关。最后，我们提出了微塑料毒性研究中的差距及其未来发展方向。本综述将有助于理解微塑料的暴露风险和潜在健康危害。
