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Microplastics in Urban Ambient Air: A Rapid Review of Active Sampling and Analytical Methods for Human Risk Assessment
Summary
This review evaluated methods for sampling and analyzing microplastics in outdoor urban air to assess human health risks. Active air sampling combined with advanced techniques like micro-Raman spectroscopy can measure the smallest inhalable particles, which are most relevant to health. The authors found that fibers are the most common airborne microplastic and stress that better standardized methods are needed to understand how much microplastic people actually breathe in.
This study conducted a rapid review to evaluate active air sampling and analytical methods for characterizing outdoor air microplastics in urban areas. We synthesized information from 35 peer-reviewed journal articles. Studies utilizing active sampling methods were able to provide detailed data on inhalation concentrations and doses. The analytical techniques reviewed were categorized into microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mass spectrometry, including pyrolysis–gas chromatography (Py-GC). While conventional FTIR and Raman spectroscopy can identify microplastics in total suspended particles, advanced instruments such as µRaman and SEM are crucial for analyzing inhalable microplastics (e.g., particles smaller than 10 µm). Characterizing the shapes and colours of microplastics can provide qualitative estimates of their sources, with fibres and the colour black being the most predominant characteristics. Establishing dose–response relationships for health effects requires quantitative analyses; thus, combining techniques like µRaman with Py-GC is essential for comprehensive human risk assessments. Future studies should focus on identifying and quantifying inhalable microplastic compounds that are relevant to human health.