Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers

Esther Lenssen; Tim Skrabanja; Nienke Vrisekoop; Lorenzo Scibetta; Annemijne van den Berg; Laura Caiazzo; Sonia Manzo; Igor Snapkow; Lützen Portengen; Roel Vermeulen; Gerard Hoek; Raymond Pieters

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894

Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers

Esther Lenssen
, Tim Skrabanja
, Nienke Vrisekoop
, Lorenzo Scibetta
, Annemijne van den Berg
, Laura Caiazzo
, Sonia Manzo
, Igor Snapkow
, Lützen Portengen
, Roel Vermeulen
, Gerard Hoek
, Raymond Pieters^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) from tyre wear are among the largest sources of unintentionally released plastic particles in the air. However, their potential health effects remain understudied. We investigated whether short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs is associated with systemic immunological changes in healthy adults. Three outdoor sites (stop-and-go high-traffic, highway, urban park) were visited with 23 healthy volunteers for 4-h. Venous blood samples were collected immediately before and after, and the following morning. Plasma cytokine/chemokine levels were determined using an OLINK® Target-48 panel. Expression of maturation marker CD16 and activation markers CD10, CD62L, and CD11b were assessed on granulocytes, and monocytes, using flow-cytometry. On-site traffic-related MNPs within particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM₁₀) were collected using a high-volume sampler, and analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PM₁₀, ultrafine particles, black carbon, trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were also monitored. Linear mixed models were used to determine associations from baseline to post-exposures, adjusting for meteorological covariates. Immediately post-exposure, traffic-related MNPs were positively associated with small increases in EGF, IL7, and MMP1 (5.2–16.9%), though not significant after multiple testing correction. The following morning we found significant false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected downregulation of CXCL9 and IL18 (2.3–8.5%), and negative associations with CD16 (−5%) on granulocytes, and CD11b on monocytes (−25.5%). Short-term exposure to the traffic-related particle mixture, including tyre-wear MNPs, was associated with changes in circulatory cytokines/chemokines, and patterns that might indicate mobilization of immature granulocytes. The delayed associations with cytokine decreases and reduced activation marker expressions could suggests resolution-phase activities, rather than inflammatory responses.

Original language	English
Article number	127894
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Number of pages	12
Journal	Environmental Pollution
Volume	397
Early online date	2 Mar 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894
Publication status	Published - 15 May 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project Polyrisk[grantagreement No.964766].We gratefully acknowledge the POLYRISK consortium for their guidance and collaborative support, with special thanks to our work package colleagues Hubert Dirven, Berit Granum, Emilia Visileanu, and Monica Andreassen for their valuable insights. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all volunteers for their participation, as well as to Mariarita Montereali, Isabella van Schothorst, Kas Adriaans, Stavri Karasiali, Laura Vicario, Fleur Froeling, Kees Meliefste, Marieke Oldenwening, Nathalie Jansen, Jonathan Schippers, Jamie Mulder, and Sylvia Bruin, whose contributions were essential to the success of the measurement campaigns. This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project Polyrisk [grant agreement No. 964766 ].

Keywords

Immunology
Micro- and nanoplastics
OLINK
Traffic-related
Tyre-wear

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Lenssen, E., Skrabanja, T., Vrisekoop, N., Scibetta, L., van den Berg, A., Caiazzo, L., Manzo, S., Snapkow, I., Portengen, L., Vermeulen, R., Hoek, G., & Pieters, R. (2026). Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers. Environmental Pollution, 397, 1-12. Article 127894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894

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abstract = "Traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) from tyre wear are among the largest sources of unintentionally released plastic particles in the air. However, their potential health effects remain understudied. We investigated whether short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs is associated with systemic immunological changes in healthy adults. Three outdoor sites (stop-and-go high-traffic, highway, urban park) were visited with 23 healthy volunteers for 4-h. Venous blood samples were collected immediately before and after, and the following morning. Plasma cytokine/chemokine levels were determined using an OLINK{\textregistered} Target-48 panel. Expression of maturation marker CD16 and activation markers CD10, CD62L, and CD11b were assessed on granulocytes, and monocytes, using flow-cytometry. On-site traffic-related MNPs within particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) were collected using a high-volume sampler, and analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PM10, ultrafine particles, black carbon, trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were also monitored. Linear mixed models were used to determine associations from baseline to post-exposures, adjusting for meteorological covariates. Immediately post-exposure, traffic-related MNPs were positively associated with small increases in EGF, IL7, and MMP1 (5.2–16.9\%), though not significant after multiple testing correction. The following morning we found significant false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected downregulation of CXCL9 and IL18 (2.3–8.5\%), and negative associations with CD16 (−5\%) on granulocytes, and CD11b on monocytes (−25.5\%). Short-term exposure to the traffic-related particle mixture, including tyre-wear MNPs, was associated with changes in circulatory cytokines/chemokines, and patterns that might indicate mobilization of immature granulocytes. The delayed associations with cytokine decreases and reduced activation marker expressions could suggests resolution-phase activities, rather than inflammatory responses.",

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Lenssen, E, Skrabanja, T, Vrisekoop, N, Scibetta, L, van den Berg, A, Caiazzo, L, Manzo, S, Snapkow, I, Portengen, L, Vermeulen, R, Hoek, G & Pieters, R 2026, 'Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers', Environmental Pollution, vol. 397, 127894, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894

TY - JOUR

T1 - Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers

AU - Lenssen, Esther

AU - Skrabanja, Tim

AU - Vrisekoop, Nienke

AU - Scibetta, Lorenzo

AU - van den Berg, Annemijne

AU - Caiazzo, Laura

AU - Manzo, Sonia

AU - Snapkow, Igor

AU - Portengen, Lützen

AU - Vermeulen, Roel

AU - Hoek, Gerard

AU - Pieters, Raymond

PY - 2026/5/15

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N2 - Traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) from tyre wear are among the largest sources of unintentionally released plastic particles in the air. However, their potential health effects remain understudied. We investigated whether short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs is associated with systemic immunological changes in healthy adults. Three outdoor sites (stop-and-go high-traffic, highway, urban park) were visited with 23 healthy volunteers for 4-h. Venous blood samples were collected immediately before and after, and the following morning. Plasma cytokine/chemokine levels were determined using an OLINK® Target-48 panel. Expression of maturation marker CD16 and activation markers CD10, CD62L, and CD11b were assessed on granulocytes, and monocytes, using flow-cytometry. On-site traffic-related MNPs within particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) were collected using a high-volume sampler, and analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PM10, ultrafine particles, black carbon, trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were also monitored. Linear mixed models were used to determine associations from baseline to post-exposures, adjusting for meteorological covariates. Immediately post-exposure, traffic-related MNPs were positively associated with small increases in EGF, IL7, and MMP1 (5.2–16.9%), though not significant after multiple testing correction. The following morning we found significant false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected downregulation of CXCL9 and IL18 (2.3–8.5%), and negative associations with CD16 (−5%) on granulocytes, and CD11b on monocytes (−25.5%). Short-term exposure to the traffic-related particle mixture, including tyre-wear MNPs, was associated with changes in circulatory cytokines/chemokines, and patterns that might indicate mobilization of immature granulocytes. The delayed associations with cytokine decreases and reduced activation marker expressions could suggests resolution-phase activities, rather than inflammatory responses.

AB - Traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) from tyre wear are among the largest sources of unintentionally released plastic particles in the air. However, their potential health effects remain understudied. We investigated whether short-term exposure to traffic-related MNPs is associated with systemic immunological changes in healthy adults. Three outdoor sites (stop-and-go high-traffic, highway, urban park) were visited with 23 healthy volunteers for 4-h. Venous blood samples were collected immediately before and after, and the following morning. Plasma cytokine/chemokine levels were determined using an OLINK® Target-48 panel. Expression of maturation marker CD16 and activation markers CD10, CD62L, and CD11b were assessed on granulocytes, and monocytes, using flow-cytometry. On-site traffic-related MNPs within particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm (PM10) were collected using a high-volume sampler, and analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PM10, ultrafine particles, black carbon, trace metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were also monitored. Linear mixed models were used to determine associations from baseline to post-exposures, adjusting for meteorological covariates. Immediately post-exposure, traffic-related MNPs were positively associated with small increases in EGF, IL7, and MMP1 (5.2–16.9%), though not significant after multiple testing correction. The following morning we found significant false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected downregulation of CXCL9 and IL18 (2.3–8.5%), and negative associations with CD16 (−5%) on granulocytes, and CD11b on monocytes (−25.5%). Short-term exposure to the traffic-related particle mixture, including tyre-wear MNPs, was associated with changes in circulatory cytokines/chemokines, and patterns that might indicate mobilization of immature granulocytes. The delayed associations with cytokine decreases and reduced activation marker expressions could suggests resolution-phase activities, rather than inflammatory responses.

KW - Immunology

KW - Micro- and nanoplastics

KW - OLINK

KW - Traffic-related

KW - Tyre-wear

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UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105033332715#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894

DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127894

M3 - Article

C2 - 41780796

AN - SCOPUS:105033332715

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VL - 397

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JF - Environmental Pollution

M1 - 127894

ER -

Short-term exposure to traffic-related micro- and nanoplastics associated with immature granulocyte mobilization and tissue repair markers

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

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