Microplastics, PAP Therapy, and What the Science Shows
From Talking Sleep by AASM
March 27, 2026 · 35 min · Season 8 · Episode 6
About this episode
Dr. Seema Khosla discusses the impact of microplastics on health, particularly for patients using PAP therapy, with experts Dr. Thais Mauad and Dr. Michel Cahali.
In this episode of Talking Sleep, host Dr. Seema Khosla explores growing concerns about microplastics in human health and what they may mean for patients using positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. She is joined by Dr. Thais Mauad, a pathologist based in São Paulo, Brazil, and Dr. Michel Cahali, an otolaryngologist, whose recent research examines the presence of microplastics and inflammatory mediators in the nasal airway of PAP users and non‑users. The conversation is framed by alarming findings from recent high‑profile studies showing microplastics in carotid artery plaque and even in the olfactory bulb of the human brain — discoveries that raise important questions about how these particles enter the body and their potential long‑term health effects. Dr. Mauad discusses her work on microplastics in neural tissue and explains how these particles may interact with inflammatory pathways, while Dr. Cahali describes their collaborative research evaluating microplastic deposition in the nasal airway. A key focus of the discussion is whether PAP therapy itself contributes to microplastic exposure. The guests walk through their study design, control population, and findings…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Seema Khosla
Guests: Dr. Thais Mauad, Dr. Michel Cahali
Topics covered
- microplastics
- PAP therapy
- human health
- inflammatory pathways
- nasal airway
- research findings
Keywords
- microplastics
- PAP therapy
- human health
- inflammatory mediators
- nasal airway
- research
- carotid artery plaque
- olfactory bulb
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: AASM
Places: São Paulo, Brazil
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