We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Micro- and Nanoplastic Exposure in Hospital Environments: A Scoping Review of Occupational Risks Among Healthcare Workers, with Particular Implications for Nursing
AI summary Read the abstract
Hospitals use tons of plastic, medical devices, packaging, protective equipment, and this review of existing research suggests that healthcare workers, especially nurses, may be breathing in or touching tiny plastic particles (microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics) on the job more than we realized. The catch? Scientists have only studied this in six papers so far, so we don't yet know how much exposure is happening or what it actually does to workers' health. The takeaway: this is a real but under-researched risk worth watching, and hospitals may need better monitoring and safety measures to protect staff.
The extensive use of plastic-based materials in healthcare services has raised concerns about micro- and nanoplastic contamination in hospital environments, with potential implications for occupational health, environmental health, and public health nursing. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on occupational exposure to micro- and nanoplastics in healthcare settings, identifying exposure sources, pathways, potential health implications, and knowledge gaps, with particular attention to healthcare workers and nursing professionals. It was conducted following JBI methodology and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. Searches were performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, LILACS, and SciELO for original studies published between January 2015 and December 2025 in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Of 759 records identified, six studies met the eligibility criteria. Evidence was derived mainly from high-complexity healthcare settings, including operating theatres, anaesthetic rooms, laboratories, emergency departments, physiotherapy units, intensive care units, blood banks, and clinical areas. Indoor air, settled dust, disposable medical devices, plastic packaging, personal protective equipment, and plasticised materials were identified as potential exposure sources. Inhalation was the most frequently reported/inferred pathway, followed by dermal contact and indirect ingestion. Current evidence remains limited and heterogeneous, with scarce direct biomonitoring of micro- and nanoplastic particles and limited epidemiological data. Hospital environments may represent under-recognised settings for occupational exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, requiring standardised exposure assessment, environmental surveillance, biomonitoring, and preventive strategies aligned with occupational and public health nursing.
More Papers Like This
Toxicology of micro- and nano-plastics and occupational health: a comprehensive literature review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together recent research on how tiny plastic particles (microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics) might affect the health of workers who encounter them on the job, such as in plastic manufacturing. The bottom line: scientists still don't fully understand how these particles behave in the body or what long-term harm they might cause, so more research is urgently needed to protect worker health. This matters because if plastic exposure is risky for workers who face high daily contact, it raises questions worth watching for the rest of us too, given how widespread microplastics have become in everyday life.
Plastics in the Perioperative Period: Deleterious Health Effects on Patients and Providers
AI summary Read the abstract
The plastic tools used during surgery—IV lines, breathing tubes, syringes—may shed tiny, often invisible plastic particles directly into your bloodstream and lungs, bypassing the body's normal defenses right when you're already under physical stress. This review paper points out that while we don't yet have proof these microplastics directly cause harm in humans, animal studies show potential risks, and both patients and the anesthesiologists/nurses working in operating rooms face repeated exposure. The takeaway: more research and safer plastic alternatives in healthcare settings are needed to protect everyone in the room.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Neglected Occupational Hazards: A Scoping Review of Exposure Assessment Methods and Regulations
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes existing research on workplace exposure to tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics. It examines methods used to measure these particles in workers across different industries, and looks at current regulations and gaps in oversight.
Microplastics in the surgical environment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers quantified and characterized airborne microplastics in a hospital operating theatre and adjoining anaesthetic room over a one-week period. They found an average of 1,924 microplastic particles per cubic meter per day in the theatre during working hours, dominated by polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene fragments. The study provides novel data on microplastic exposure in surgical environments where single-use plastics are widely used, and no microplastics were detected during non-working hours.
A essencialidade da enfermagem e o desafio do uso de microplásticos em hospitais
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the occupational exposure risks of nursing staff to microplastics through daily handling of single-use plastic medical devices — including gloves, syringes, and infusion systems — noting that while microplastics have been detected in multiple human tissues, no studies have yet specifically investigated nurses as an exposed occupational group.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.