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Characteristics, sources, exposure, and health effects of atmospheric microplastics: a review of advances from 2021 to 2025
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This review summarizes 161 studies from 2021 to 2025 on tiny plastic particles found in air. It reports that these particles mainly come from textiles, plastic breakdown, and industry, enter the body through breathing and skin contact, and are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation in affected tissues.
Atmospheric microplastics (MPs) have emerged as ubiquitous environmental pollutants of global concern, with potential risks to ecosystems and human health. This review synthesizes 161 peer‑reviewed articles published between 2021 and 2025, providing a critical assessment of sampling and detection methodologies, physicochemical characteristics, spatiotemporal distribution patterns, human exposure pathways, and health risks. Research indicates that MPs primarily originate from textile fiber release, plastic degradation, and industrial emissions, with fibers and fragments as dominant morphologies and polymer compositions showing distinct regional variations. Distribution patterns differ markedly between indoor and outdoor environments, coastal and inland areas, and dry and wet seasons, regulated by climate, human activities, and land use types. Human exposure occurs mainly via inhalation and dermal contact, with particles < 10 μm readily penetrating respiratory barriers. Notably, this review reveals a systematic discrepancy of 1-2 orders of magnitude between active and passive sampling results, demonstrates that indoor and outdoor concentrations are significantly influenced by ventilation conditions, localized point sources, and environmental parameters, and elucidates the molecular mechanisms of key signaling pathways including oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Current research still faces limitations in method standardization, detection of small‑sized (nanoscale) particles, and understanding long‑term exposure toxicological mechanisms. Future efforts should focus on advancing cross‑regional, multi‑media collaborative monitoring, developing highly sensitive detection technologies, investigating transport, transformation, and health hazard mechanisms, and establishing health risk‑based exposure limit standards to provide scientific support for targeted pollution prevention and control.
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Atmospheric microplastics: exposure, toxicity, and detrimental health effects
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This review summarizes what is known about microplastics in the air, including their sources, how they travel, and their effects on human health when inhaled or swallowed. Airborne microplastics come from synthetic textiles, road dust, construction materials, and industrial processes, and can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the lungs and other organs. The authors conclude that atmospheric microplastics represent an underappreciated route of human exposure that deserves more research and regulation.
Airborne Microplastics: Another Threatening to Our Health
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This review examines the emerging evidence on airborne microplastics, covering their sources, how they travel through the atmosphere, and how they enter the human respiratory system through inhalation. Researchers highlight potential health effects including pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, with particle size influencing how deeply they penetrate into the lungs. The study calls for standardized measurement protocols and urgent interdisciplinary research to better understand the health risks of breathing in microplastic particles.
Micro- and nano-plastics in the atmosphere: A review of occurrence, properties and human health risks
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This review summarizes research on tiny plastic particles floating in the air we breathe, both indoors and outdoors. Studies show that inhaling these airborne microplastics and nanoplastics can trigger immune responses, oxidative stress, and cell death, potentially contributing to cardiovascular disease and reproductive problems, though standardized testing methods are still needed.
Microplastics in the urban atmosphere: Sources, occurrences, distribution, and potential health implications
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This review summarizes research on airborne microplastics in cities, finding that indoor sources like textiles and outdoor sources like traffic-related plastic particles are major contributors. Microplastic concentrations in urban air can be significant, especially in densely populated areas, and people can inhale these particles daily. The health implications of breathing in microplastics are still being studied, but early evidence suggests they may cause lung inflammation and other respiratory problems.
Sources, analysis, and health implications of atmospheric microplastics
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This review examines the sources, detection methods, and health implications of microplastics in outdoor air. Most airborne microplastics are fiber-shaped and come from textiles, construction materials, and vehicle tire wear. Inhaled microplastics can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the respiratory system, and they may also carry other harmful chemical pollutants and heavy metals into the lungs.
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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.