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Assessment of microplastic exposure in beauty salon employees: analysis of indoor air and nasal lavage fluid in Ardabil, Iran
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Beauty salons had nearly three times more microplastic particles floating in the air than homes did, and researchers actually found these tiny plastic bits in workers' nasal fluid, meaning they're breathing them in regularly. This matters because salon employees may be inhaling over 500 microplastic particles a day just from doing their jobs, raising questions about long-term health risks that scientists are still working to understand.
UNLABELLED: In recent decades, concerns about microplastics increased as an important issue in the fields of environment and public health. This research evaluates the level of inhalation exposure to microplastics and examines their presence in the indoor air and nasal lavage fluid of beauty salon employees, both at home and during working hours in the salon. A total of 36 indoor air samples and 18 nasal lavage fluid samples were collected and analyzed. The results indicated the abundance of microplastics in the indoor air of beauty salons, and homes with mean values of 99.38 ± 4.1 and 36.61 ± 3.05 MPs/m3, respectively. Microplastics were also found in the nasal lavage samples of beauty salon workers and in homes, with the concentrations ranging from 12.33 to 23.78MP/ml and 9.32 to 20.12MP/ml, respectively. The average daily exposure to microplastics in homes, and beauty salons was calculated to be 211.55 ± 109 and 572.166 ± 238MPs/day, respectively. This research highlights the importance of reducing potential health hazards associated with microplastic exposure in these environments. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-026-00999-9.
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