NYU Langone Finds Microplastics in Prostate Tumors

"Our pilot study provides important evidence that microplastic exposure may be a risk factor for prostate cancer, a possibility the team says must be explored in much larger patient groups. Scientists call the results surprising and potentially important for understanding environmental cancer risks, but they are equally clear that the study is early-stage and does not prove that plastics cause cancer."

"On average, tumor samples contained about 39.8 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue, compared with about 15.5 micrograms per gram in the adjacent noncancerous prostate. Microscopy picked up particles roughly 1.2 micrometers to 40 micrometers in diameter, and chemical testing identified nylon-6 and polystyrene among the most common polymers present."

NYU Langone researchers conducted a pilot study examining prostate tissue from ten men who underwent surgery, discovering plastic fragments in nine of the ten tumors examined. Cancerous prostate tissue contained approximately 39.8 micrograms of plastic per gram, compared to 15.5 micrograms per gram in adjacent noncancerous tissue—roughly 2.5 times higher. Using Raman microscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, researchers identified nylon-6 and polystyrene as common polymers, with particles ranging from 1.2 to 40 micrometers in diameter. While researchers describe the findings as potentially important for understanding environmental cancer risks, they emphasize this early-stage study does not prove plastics cause cancer and requires validation in larger patient populations.

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