Scientists make disturbing discovery while analyzing tumors from young cancer patients: ‘Urgent need for increased awareness’

Newly published findings examined the relationship between microplastics and a startling rise in one type of cancer in young people, and the results were concerning.

What’s happening?

Researchers at China’s Tianjin Institute of Coloproctology published the new study in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the fifth-most-cited journal worldwide.

In it, the researchers noted that the impact of microplastics on human health remains “largely unclear,” but in the same sentence, they pointed to evidence that “inflammation, cytotoxicity, and oxidative stress” are among health risks associated with microplastics.

Focusing on the potential role of microplastics in carcinogenesis — when healthy cells become cancer cells — the team analyzed samples of tumor tissue and peritumoral tissue, defined as tissue adjacent to tumors.

“Our findings revealed a diverse array of microplastic types, notably polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE), within both peritumoral and tumor regions,” the researchers wrote. They added that samples of tissue from tumors “exhibited a greater variety and distribution of microplastics.”

As the researchers further noted, microplastics are “pervasive environmental contaminants increasingly detected in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.” Their findings specifically focused on cases of colorectal cancer.

Why is this study so important?

In recent years, medical researchers have observed an alarming trend: Cases of colorectal cancer in young patients are “skyrocketing.”

More alarming is that, despite being aware of the uptick, “nobody knows for sure why colorectal cancer numbers are rising in young people,” per Yale Medicine. Consumption of processed foods, broader dietary deficiencies, a “sedentary lifestyle,” and “environmental factors” are some suspected contributors.

The Tianjin Institute of Coloproctology researchers explained that the mechanism by which microplastics contribute to cases of colorectal cancer remains “unclear.” They proposed several potential culprits, including oxidative stress damaging DNA, increased susceptibility to heavy metal contamination, chronic inflammation, and immune dysregulation as ways microplastics could contribute to cancer cases.

At the end of the study’s abstract, the researchers stated that it “highlights the urgent need for increased awareness and regulatory measures aimed at mitigating microplastic pollution along with its associated health risks.”

What’s being done about the impact of microplastics on human health?

As the researchers stated, the scope of risks that microplastics pose is unclear, but early findings suggest a battery of adverse health effects.

Targeted research into microplastics and health is ongoing and diverse, and scientists continue to identify ways microplastics impact the body.

Not all plastic is avoidable, but using less plastic when possible is one of the easiest ways to limit microplastic contamination in the environment and at home.

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