Health assessment based on exposure to microplastics in tropical agricultural soil

Abstract

Microplastic (MP) pollution of agricultural soils has caused global alarm over its widespread distribution and potential risks to terrestrial ecosystems and human health. This study assessed human health based on exposure to soil MPs through a comprehensive investigation of the factors influencing their occurrence and spatial distribution on Hainan Island, South China. The results showed that the abundance of soil MPs was 1128.6 ± 391.5 items·kg−1, whereas the normalized abundance of MPs based on using a power-law function was 19,261.4 items·kg−1. Regarding the extent of population exposure to agricultural soil MPs, the average daily exposure dose (pADD) model revealed that using mass as an indicator to assess the health risks associated with MP intake is more reliable than using abundance. However, abundance-based exposure assessments are also relevant because MPs with smaller particle sizes are more harmful to human health. Moreover, for adults, the normalized pADD values based on abundance and mass were 1.68E-02 item MPs·kg BW−1·d−1 and 7.23E-02 mg MPs·kg BW−1·d−1, respectively. Although the multidimensionality of MPs should be further aligned and quantified, the preliminary findings of this study contribute to the development of human health risk assessment frameworks for soil MPs.