Italian protesters supporting Gaza flotilla: 'I can't just stand by and do nothing'
Tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Friday, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of an...
Adults are inhaling around 68,000 microplastic particles each day, researchers warn, over 100 times previous estimates.
People may be breathing in far more microplastic than previously thought, according to a new study published in PLOS One. Researchers from the University of Toulouse found that adults inhale approximately 68,000 microplastic particles per day, a figure that is more than 100 times earlier estimates.
The study focused on microplastics measuring between 1 and 10 micrometers, which can lodge deep in the lungs and pose serious health risks.
“Most studies so far have examined larger particles between 20 and 200 micrometers,” the researchers wrote. “But smaller microplastics pose greater concern for respiratory health.”
Using Raman spectroscopy, the team analysed air samples from indoor environments and car cabins. They found median concentrations of 528 particles per cubic metre in homes and 2,238 per cubic metre in vehicles. Notably, 94% of the particles were under 10 micrometers in size.
By comparing their findings with earlier data on larger particles, the scientists estimated that the majority of inhaled microplastics are small enough to evade the body’s natural defences and enter the respiratory system. The inhalation of such particles, they warned, could lead to oxidative stress, weakened immunity, and damage to organs beyond the lungs.
Nadiia Yakovenko and Jeroen Sonke, co-authors of the study, highlighted the dangers of confined spaces, stating, “During long commutes, people may inhale far greater quantities of microplastics due to air circulation limits inside vehicles.”
The authors are now urging further research into the long-term effects of microplastic inhalation and calling on policymakers to prioritise indoor air quality.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 100% tariffs on branded and patented pharmaceuticals manufactured abroad poses a serious threat to Germany’s pharmaceutical sector, according to the Berlin-based industry group Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller (vfa).
A flock of Canadian ostriches set to be culled, after two dead birds tested positive for avian flu, has been granted a last-minute stay of execution from Canada's highest court - for now.
The Trump administration's plan to dramatically raise fees for H-1B visas is drawing concern from U.S. healthcare groups who say the move could worsen staffing shortages as more than half of healthcare workers consider changing jobs within the next year.
Australian authorities have reaffirmed that paracetamol is safe for pregnant women, rejecting U.S. claims that it raises the risk of autism in babies.
The United Nations agency focusing on the HIV/AIDS pandemic could close by the end of next year as the U.N. restructures in the face of a funding crisis, according to a U.N. document published online
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