Colon cancer explosion in young people may be caused by toxins breathed in by millions every day
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Microscopic pieces of plastic in the air we breathe and the food we eat could be fueling an epidemic of colon cancers in America, new research suggests. Colon cancer diagnoses have surged in the US over the past two decades, with fit, otherwise healthy people in their 20s and 30s increasingly being struck down by the disease.
Obesity, ultra-processed foods, and taking antibiotics have all been blamed, but scientists are racing to find a definitive cause. Now, a sweeping review of more than 3,000 studies suggests that tiny particles smaller than a grain of rice could be to blame.
The researchers, from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), said these pervasive particles can accumulate in organs over time, causing irreversible DNA damage. This leads to chronic inflammation that kills healthy cells and causes cancerous cells to grow out of control.
The researchers are now urging lawmakers to 'take immediate action' to limit exposure future exposure to microplastics. Researchers in California suggested that microplastics, which are found in everything from single-use plastic to seafood, could be to blame for America's colon cancer epidemic.
The above graph shows the increase in US colorectal cancers in men and women from 2000 through 2021. Dr Tracey J Woodruff, a professor of professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, said: 'These microplastics are basically particulate matter air pollution, and we know this type of air pollution is harmful.'.