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Plastic Smell: A Review of the Hidden Threat of Airborne Micro and Nanoplastics to Human Health and the Environment
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This review examines the growing threat of airborne micro- and nanoplastics, which spread globally through atmospheric transport and can settle in both cities and remote areas. Inhaling these particles may cause respiratory inflammation, oxidative stress, and other health problems, and the particles can also carry harmful chemicals and microbes, amplifying their potential impact.
Airborne micro and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) are a growing issue due to their possible health hazards. Since the current bibliography lacks a thorough evaluation, this review examines the sources, environmental dynamics, and health impacts of airborne MPs/NPs. Through atmospheric transport processes, these neo-pollutants spread around the world after being released, potentially settling in urban and remote areas. This review is the first to compare active and passive aerosol sampling methods, and microscopy, thermochemical, and spectroscopy analytical techniques, with a focus on their limitations in precisely quantifying micro-nanoscale plastic particles. It also draws attention to the potential toxicological effects of inhaled MPs/NPs, which can lead to oxidative stress, respiratory inflammation, and other negative health consequences. This review concludes by examining how airborne MPs/NPs may worsen their ecological impact by serving as carriers of hazardous chemicals and microbial pollutants. Despite growing awareness, there still are many unanswered questions, especially about the impact of long-term exposure and how atmospheric conditions affect the spread of MPs/NPs. The aim of this review was to bring attention to the issue of airborne MP/NP effects and to promote the development of advanced monitoring systems, a new multidisciplinary scientific field for the study of these novel pollutants, and global regulatory frameworks.
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Invisible Threats of Atmospheric Micro- and Nanoplastics as Emerging Air Pollutants and Their Implications for Human Health
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This paper reviews existing research on tiny plastic particles, called micro- and nanoplastics, that are found in the air. These particles come from sources like urban dust, synthetic fabrics, tyre wear, and industrial activity, and the review discusses their potential implications for human health.
Microplastics in air: a hidden public health threat
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This short review explains how microplastics become airborne from land, ocean, and industrial sources and are transported globally through the atmosphere, potentially entering the human body through inhalation. The author frames airborne microplastics as a hidden public health threat warranting greater scientific and regulatory attention.
Microplastics as an Emerging Source of Particulate Air Pollution
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This review examines the growing body of research on airborne microplastics as a source of particulate air pollution, covering their sources, transport mechanisms, and presence in both indoor and outdoor environments. Researchers highlight that airborne microplastics can travel long distances and have been found in remote locations far from population centers. The study underscores significant gaps in our understanding of how inhaling these tiny plastic particles may affect human health.
Atmospheric Micro and Nanoplastics: An Enormous Microscopic Problem
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This review examined atmospheric micro- and nanoplastic pollution, synthesizing evidence that plastic particles are suspended, transported, and deposited globally through atmospheric pathways, concluding that air represents a major but understudied route of human exposure and environmental dispersal requiring integration into plastic pollution models.
Atmospheric Microplastics: Research Progress, Hotspots and Prospects of Global Environmental Problems
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Tiny plastic particles are floating in the air all around us, indoors, outdoors, even in remote places, and we're likely breathing them in every day. This review of over 280 studies finds that while scientists know these particles can travel long distances and get into our lungs, research methods vary so much that we still can't say exactly how much is truly harmful to human health. The takeaway: airborne microplastics are a real and growing concern worth watching, but more consistent research is needed before we know the actual health risks.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.