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You may be breathing plastic air.

You may be breathing plastic air.
 Here’s how microplastics are polluting our lungs

Once inhaled, these tiny particles go into the deep lungs where they may induce lesions in the respiratory systems. The smallest particles can also pass into the bloodstream and cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, induce cancer and affect the human immune and nervous system.

Research shows that many of the microplastics in our bodies come from the air we breathe – not just from drinking bottled water or eating fish from polluted oceans. Due to their small size, microplastics can be inhaled and may induce a wide range of diseases including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer.

More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year. Half of that plastic becomes trash in less than a year. Out of the plastics produced, only 9% is recycled; the remaining 91% enters the air, land and water as waste. Parts end up in our lungs. And they stay in the lung tissue or enter the blood stream as the body is not able to rid itself of the tiny plastic particles. Babies who crawl on the floor are the most vulnerable, and children more generally are most at risk as their respiratory systems are still under development.

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