Mini-review on current studies of airborne microplastics: Analytical methods, occurrence, sources, fate and potential risk to human beings

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants and have potential adverse effects to organisms. Airborne MPs are of great concern, because they are an important contributor to MPs in other environmental compartments such as water and soils and may pose potential risk to human health via inhalation or dust ingestion. Analytical methods, abundance, pollution characteristics, potential sources and risk to human beings of airborne MPs in suspended particulates, atmospheric fallout and deposited dusts were summarized in the present review. Research gaps and suggestions for future works on airborne MPs were also given. Digestion of samples was suggested to avoid the interference of organic materials to airborne MPs. New techniques such as hyperspectral imaging technique, pyrolysis and thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry were expected to be used for the analysis of airborne MPs. Furthermore, more studies were required to fully understand the pollution status and potential risk of airborne MPs.