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Atmospheric Microplastics and Human Health: Sources, Exposure, and Risks
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This review systematically summarizes the sources, distribution, and health implications of atmospheric microplastics in both indoor and outdoor air. The study highlights growing evidence that inhaled microplastics can enter the human body and pose potential risks to the respiratory system, while identifying key limitations and uncertainties in current exposure assessment methods.
Atmospheric microplastics, a newly recognized category of environmental pollutants, have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their presence in the atmospheric environment. A growing body of evidence indicates that MPs are widely distributed in both indoor and outdoor air and can enter the human body through inhalation, posing potential risks to the respiratory system and overall human health. This review systematically summarizes the major sources of atmospheric MPs, their environmental distribution patterns, and their transport and fate in air. Besides, special emphasis is placed on recent advances in research on inhalable microplastic exposure levels and associated health effects. On this basis, key limitations and uncertainties in current studies are identified, and future perspectives are proposed regarding monitoring techniques, health risk assessment, and mechanistic investigations of atmospheric MPs. This study aims to provide a scientific reference for the environmental management of emerging air pollutants and the prevention and control of related 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.