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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Cancer Control: Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center

Microplastic Pollution and Risk of Cancer: A Prospective Study Based on UK Biobank

  • Simeng You1,2
  • Zhiyi Wang3,4
  • Chuandong Liu5
  • Liting Zhong1,2,6
  • Lei Yang1
  • Zhenqiu Xia1
  • Jian Wang7
  • Yuan Fang1,7
  • Jingyuan Sun7
  • Chuanhui Cao1,7
  • Jianghua Deng1
  • Yan Lin8
1 more authors
  • Qingxiang Lai1,2
8 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Oncology, Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (Ganzhou People’s Hospital), Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
  2. 2Ganzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Tumor Radiobiology, Ganzhou People’s Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
  3. 3State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Guangzhou
  4. 4Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
  5. 5Department of Gastrointestinal Hernia Surgery, Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (Ganzhou People’s Hospital), Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
  6. 6Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Ganzhou Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
  7. 7Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
  8. 8Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (Ganzhou People’s Hospital), Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
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Abstract

Introduction: Various industrial pollutants have been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the cancer risk associated with microplastics, a pervasive environmental pollutant, remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the association between basin-level environmental microplastic contamination and cancer incidence.

Methods: In this secondary analysis of a prospective UK Biobank cohort, 378,985 participants were linked to basin-level river microplastic measurements using residential coordinates. The 2019 measurements were treated as an ecological proxy for regional environmental microplastic contamination. Participants were categorized into low, moderate, or high exposure groups, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: During a mean follow-up of 12.39 years, 37,322 participants developed at least one of the 24 cancer outcomes. Compared with participants in low-exposure basins, participants in high-exposure basins had increased risks of liver cancer (HR, 1.252; 95% CI, 1.031-1.520), colon cancer (HR, 1.167; 95% CI, 1.088-1.252), and lung cancer (HR, 1.198; 95% CI, 1.095-1.309). These estimates represent modest relative increases and should be interpreted alongside absolute event counts and confidence intervals.

Conclusions: Higher basin-level river microplastic contamination was associated with modestly higher incidence of selected digestive and respiratory cancers.

Patient or Public Contribution: This study was a secondary analysis of de-identified data from the prospective UK Biobank cohort. Patients, service users, and members of the public were not directly involved in the design, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of this study.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{you2026microplastic,
  title = {{Microplastic Pollution and Risk of Cancer: A Prospective Study Based on UK Biobank}},
  author = {Simeng You and Zhiyi Wang and Chuandong Liu and Liting Zhong and Lei Yang and Zhenqiu Xia and Jian Wang and Yuan Fang and Jingyuan Sun and Chuanhui Cao and Jianghua Deng and Yan Lin and Qingxiang Lai},
  journal = {Cancer Control: Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1177/10732748261493417},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748261493417},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Microplastic Pollution and Risk of Cancer: A Prospective Study Based on UK Biobank
AU  - Simeng You
AU  - Zhiyi Wang
AU  - Chuandong Liu
AU  - Liting Zhong
AU  - Lei Yang
AU  - Zhenqiu Xia
AU  - Jian Wang
AU  - Yuan Fang
AU  - Jingyuan Sun
AU  - Chuanhui Cao
AU  - Jianghua Deng
AU  - Yan Lin
AU  - Qingxiang Lai
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
JO  - Cancer Control: Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center
DO  - 10.1177/10732748261493417
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748261493417
AB  - Introduction: Various industrial pollutants have been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the cancer risk associated with microplastics, a pervasive environmental pollutant, remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the association between basin-level environmental microplastic contamination and cancer incidence.  Methods: In this secondary analysis of a prospective UK Biobank cohort, 378,985 participants were linked to basin-level river microplastic measurements using residential coordinates. The 2019 measurements were treated as an ecological proxy for regional environmental microplastic contamination. Participants were categorized into low, moderate, or high exposure groups, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).  Results: During a mean follow-up of 12.39 years, 37,322 participants developed at least one of the 24 cancer outcomes. Compared with participants in low-exposure basins, participants in high-exposure basins had increased risks of liver cancer (HR, 1.252; 95% CI, 1.031-1.520), colon cancer (HR, 1.167; 95% CI, 1.088-1.252), and lung cancer (HR, 1.198; 95% CI, 1.095-1.309). These estimates represent modest relative increases and should be interpreted alongside absolute event counts and confidence intervals.  Conclusions: Higher basin-level river microplastic contamination was associated with modestly higher incidence of selected digestive and respiratory cancers.  Patient or Public Contribution: This study was a secondary analysis of de-identified data from the prospective UK Biobank cohort. Patients, service users, and members of the public were not directly involved in the design, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of this study.
SN  - 1073-2748
SN  - 1526-2359
ER  -