MNPLs effects on human health are still preliminary. Workers exposed to plastic residues are exposed constantly to MNPLs. One of these jobs corresponds to greenhouse workers, that could be considered as a population highly exposed to plastics. The objective of the research is to be able to detect MNPLs on body fluids as well as their potential genotoxic and immunological damage.
The exponential increase in the production/use of plastic translates into a parallel increase of environmental plastic waste that is continuously degraded into MNPLs. Information on the MNPLs' effects on human health is still preliminary and, furthermore, the limitations in current methodologies prevent accurate exposure/risk assessment. This observational study will obtain body samples of greenhouse workers and from a control group. That would allow optimizing specific biomarkers of human MNPLs exposure and the characterization of biomarkers of early effect that allows an association among the exposure to MNPLs and effects on human health.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
25
Detection of biomarkers of exposure and genotoxic effect in biological blood, urine, exhalated air condensate, and feces
Biomonitoring study to detect the presence of MNPLs in body fluids
Blood, buccal cells, exhalate breath condensate, feaces and urine will be collected from donors to check for the presence of micro and nanoplastics and/or derivatives
Time frame: Up to 1 year
Genotoxicity effects of exposure to MNPLs
Blood and buccal cells will be collected from donors to check for the presence genotoxic permanent damage, assessed by the micronucleus assay
Time frame: Up to 1 year
Genotoxicity effects of exposure to MNPLs
Blood will be collected from donors to check for the presence genotoxic non-permanent damage, assessed by the comet assay
Time frame: up to 1 year
Study of the effects of MNPLs on immune system
Blood will be collected from donors to check if the presence of micro and nanoplastics have an effect on th function of the immune system (signalling and activation) in vivo and in high-risk individuals
Time frame: Up to 1 year
Surrogate biomarkers after MNPLs exposure
If it is possible to correlate the presence of micro and nanoplastics with the presence of plastic derivatives in body fluids, as blood or urine, this will facilitate the detection of plastic, because tecniques to detect surrogate biomarkers as e.g. plasticizers or antioxidants are cheaper and most use than the tecnology to detect MNPLs. For that different analytical tecniques will be used.
Time frame: Up to 1 year
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