Abstract
Humans are potentially exposed to microplastics through food, drink, and air. The first two pathways have received quite some scientific attention, while little is known about the latter. We address the exposure of humans to indoor airborne microplastics using a Breathing Thermal Manikin. Three apartments were investigated, and samples analysed through FPA-µFTIR-Imaging spectroscopy followed by automatic analyses down to 11 µm particle size. All samples were contaminated with microplastics, with concentrations between 1.7 and 16.2 particles m−3. Synthetic fragments and fibres accounted, on average, for 4% of the total identified particles, while nonsynthetic particles of protein and cellulose constituted 91% and 4%, respectively. Polyester was the predominant synthetic polymer in all samples (81%), followed by polyethylene (5%), and nylon (3%). Microplastics were typically of smaller size than nonsynthetic particles. As the identified microplastics can be inhaled, these results highlight the potential direct human exposure to microplastic contamination via indoor air.
Highlights
Microplastics (MP) are present everywhere and have received attention due to their persistent nature[1] and potential impacts on humans[2] and the environment[3,4]
Airborne MP are suspected of carrying micropollutants adsorbed to their hydrophobic surface, especially when related to urban environments where Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals are produced by various emissions
This study aims to present the first data on simulated human exposure to airborne microplastics in indoor environments, collecting air samples with a breathing thermal manikin that simulates human metabolic rate and breathing
Summary
Microplastics (MP) are present everywhere and have received attention due to their persistent nature[1] and potential impacts on humans[2] and the environment[3,4]. The detection of small particles can be carried out by FPA-μFTIR-Imaging analysis (Focal Plane Array-Fourier Transform-Infrared-micro-spectroscopy), which is, far, considered the most promising approach for small MP. It avoids the pre-sorting of MP, hereby providing data unbiased by the analyst[21,22]. This study aims to present the first data on simulated human exposure to airborne microplastics in indoor environments, collecting air samples with a breathing thermal manikin that simulates human metabolic rate and breathing. The present study extends knowledge of indoor airborne MP exposure, composition, and size ranges, providing data on particles (including fibres) of sizes down to 11 μm (major dimension)
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