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Every breath you take: High concentration of breathable microplastics in indoor environments
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Researchers measured airborne microplastics inside homes and offices using Raman spectroscopy and found concentrations ranging from 58 to 684 particles per cubic meter, with most particles small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs. A standard surgical face mask blocked about 85% of airborne microplastics overall but was less effective (58%) for the smallest breathable particles. Without protection, people may inhale over 3,400 microplastic particles per day from indoor air alone.
The widespread presence of microplastics (MPs) in the air and their potential impact on human health underscore the pressing need to develop robust methods for quantifying their presence, particularly in the breathable fraction (<5 μm). In this study, Raman micro-spectroscopy (μRaman) was employed to assess the concentration of indoor airborne MPs >1 μm in four indoor environments (a meeting room, a workshop, and two apartments) under different levels of human activity. The indoor airborne MP concentration spanned between 58 and 684 MPs per cubic meter (MP m) (median 212 MP m, MPs/non-plastic ratio 0-1.6%), depending not only on the type and level of human activity, but also on the surface area and air circulation of the investigated locations. Additionally, we assessed in the same environments the filtration performance of a type IIR surgical facemask, which could overall retain 85.4 ± 3.9% of the MPs. We furthermore estimated a human MP intake from indoor air of 3415 ± 2881 MPs day (mostly poly-amide MPs), which could be decreased to 283 ± 317 MPs day using the surgical facemask. However, for the breathable fraction of MPs (1-5 μm), the efficiency of the surgical mask was reduced to 57.6%.
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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.