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Airborne microplastic emissions from synthetic sports surfaces and associated health risks to children
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This review examines synthetic sports surfaces like tracks and artificial turf as sources of airborne microplastic emissions in school environments, focusing on health risks to children. The study highlights evidence linking inhaled airborne microplastics to oxidative stress, inflammation, and systemic health effects, noting that children face heightened vulnerability due to their physiology and activity patterns on these surfaces.
Synthetic urban surfaces, such as synthetic tracks and artificial turf, are increasingly recognised as sources of airborne microplastic (AMP) emissions in school environments, raising environmental and public health concerns. Children face heightened vulnerability due to their physiology and activity patterns, yet research specifically addressing AMP generation, distribution, and child-specific health implications in school contexts remains limited. Additionally, AMPs can also carry hazardous substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors, posing combined health risks that remain largely overlooked in current child exposure assessments. This review synthesises evidence from 2015 to June 2025, highlighting mechanistic evidence linking inhaled AMPs to oxidative stress, inflammation, and systemic health effects, and underscoring children's enhanced susceptibility. It also critically evaluates existing knowledge on AMP emission mechanisms from synthetic sports surfaces, identifies distinctive environmental pathways and spatiotemporal distribution patterns within school settings, and addresses methodological limitations in current exposure monitoring and modelling frameworks. Drawing on recent regulatory developments, such as EU restrictions on intentionally added microplastics, this work outlines science-based strategies for targeted risk mapping, source control, maintenance practices, and child-centred environmental design in educational infrastructure. By shifting focus from predominantly urban- and traffic-oriented studies to the underexplored micro-scale of school campuses and synthetic sports surfaces, this review complements broader urban research while bridging key knowledge gaps, providing a foundation for future research, evidence-based policymaking, and practical measures to safeguard children's health.
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This literature review evaluates health risks from artificial sport surfaces using recycled tire rubber infill, finding that the EU classifies rubber granules as microplastics and that their hazardous chemical content raises bio-accessibility concerns especially for children using playgrounds.
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This review examines how artificial turf in sports facilities generates nano- and microplastics through mechanical wear, UV radiation, and weathering of synthetic grass fibers and infill materials. These plastic particles have been detected in drainage systems and surrounding soils near sports facilities, with laboratory studies showing harmful effects on soil organisms and aquatic life. The findings highlight artificial turf as an overlooked but significant source of microplastic pollution in urban environments.
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This review examines how microplastic exposure may affect athletic performance and physiological health, discussing evidence that MPs can enter the body through exercise-related inhalation and ingestion and may impair respiratory function, endocrine signaling, and inflammation pathways relevant to sports performance.
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.
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