{"id":19217,"date":"2025-02-28T18:14:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T18:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=19217"},"modified":"2025-02-28T18:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T18:14:05","slug":"birds-and-humans-breathing-in-hazardous-microplastics-new-study-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/birds-and-humans-breathing-in-hazardous-microplastics-new-study-reveals\/","title":{"rendered":"Birds and Humans Breathing in Hazardous Microplastics, New Study Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study reveals the presence of harmful microplastics in bird lungs, highlighting urgent environmental and health concerns for both wildlife and humans.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Microscopic plastic pollutants are not just a problem for oceans and landfills \u2014 they&#8217;re also in the air we breathe. A new study, conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) alongside researchers from Sichuan University and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in China, has discovered alarming levels of microplastics lodged in bird lungs, hinting at broader environmental threats that could affect humans as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0304389425001864\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, underscores the role of birds as crucial indicators of environmental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBirds serve as important indicators of environmental conditions,\u201d co-author Shane DuBay, an assistant professor of biology at UTA, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uta.edu\/news\/news-releases\/2025\/02\/27\/birds-breathe-in-dangerous-plastics-and-so-do-we\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. \u201cThey help us understand the state of the environment and make informed decisions about conservation and pollution control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team studied 56 wild birds from 51 different species around Tianfu airport, using advanced chemical analyses to detect microplastics in their lungs. They employed laser direct infrared technology and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to measure microplastics and even nanoplastics \u2014 tiny particles that can enter the bloodstream and reach the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings were startling. Birds had an average of 221 microplastic particles per species and 416 particles per gram of lung tissue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plastics most commonly identified were chlorinated polyethylene, often used for pipe and wire insulation, and butadiene rubber, a material found in tires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While no official safe level of microplastic particles in lung tissue has been established, high levels have been associated with serious health issues, including heart disease, cancer, respiratory problems and fertility issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur research highlights an urgent need to address plastic pollution in our environments, as these contaminants can have far-reaching impacts on ecosystem health, as well as human health,\u201d DuBay added. \u201cOur findings call for further research, funding and action to mitigate the harmful effects of plastic pollution and ensure a healthier environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive reach of plastic pollution, affecting not only wildlife but potentially human health. Birds, present almost everywhere humans live, provide a crucial window into understanding the extent of environmental contamination and its implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microscopic plastic pollutants are not just a problem for oceans and landfills \u2014 they&#8217;re also in the air we breathe. A new study, conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) alongside researchers from Sichuan University and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in China, has discovered alarming levels of microplastics lodged in bird lungs, hinting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[83,82],"class_list":["post-19217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-and-environment","tag-sichuan-university","tag-ut-arlington"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Microscopic plastic pollutants are not just a problem for oceans and landfills \u2014 they&#8217;re also in the air we breathe. A new study, conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) alongside researchers from Sichuan University and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in China, has discovered alarming levels of microplastics lodged in bird lungs, hinting&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19217"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19253,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19217\/revisions\/19253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}