A preliminary study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2026 has found microplastics in human lung tissue and airway fluid. The research, which is currently unpublished and not peer-reviewed, included 100 participants, 50 with lung malignancy and 50 control subjects.
The study detected microplastics in both airway fluid (BAL) and lung tissue samples. Researchers observed a higher burden of microplastics in participants diagnosed with lung cancer compared to the control group.
Dr Ria Devereux, an Environmental Research Fellow at the University of East London, noted that while the study adds to evidence of microplastics in the human body, it does not establish a causal link between microplastics and lung cancer. The findings show an association but cannot prove that microplastics cause cancer or increase individual risk.
Limitations of the study include its small size and observational nature. The authors accounted for age, sex, and smoking history, but other factors such as occupational exposures or air pollution were not detailed in the available information.