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Characterization of microplastics in outdoor and indoor air in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India: First insights from the region
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Researchers measured airborne microplastics in both outdoor and indoor air in Ranchi, India, finding plastic particles in all samples with higher concentrations during winter months. Indoor air contained different plastic types than outdoor air, with polyvinyl chloride dominant indoors while polyethylene and polypropylene were more common outside. The study confirms that people are breathing in microplastics throughout the day, whether at home or outside.
The study focused on detecting and characterizing microplastics in outdoor and indoor air in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India during post-monsoon (2022) and winter (2023). Stereo microscopic analysis showed that plastic fibres had a dominant presence, fragments were less abundant, whereas fewer films could be detected in indoor and outdoor air. The atmospheric deposition of microplastics outdoors observed 465 ± 27 particles/m/day in PM and 12104 ± 665 and 13833 ± 1152 particles/m/day in PM in quartz and PTFE, respectively during the post-monsoon months. During winter, microplastic deposition rates in PM samples were found to be 689 ± 52 particles/m/day and 19789 ± 2957 and 30087 ± 13402 in quartz and PTFE particles/m/day respectively in PM. The mean deposition rate in indoor environment during post-monsoon was 8.3 × 10 and 1.03 × 10 particles/m/day in winter. During the post-monsoon period in PM, there were fibres from 7.7 to 40 μm and fragments from 2.3 μm to 8.6 μm. Indoor atmospheric microplastics, fibres ranged from 1.2 to 47 μm and fragments from 0.9 to 16 μm present respectively during the post-monsoon season. Fibres and fragment sizes witnessed during winter were 3.6-6.9 μm and 2.3-34 μm, respectively. Indoor air films measured in the range of 4.1-9.6 μm. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed that outdoor air contained polyethylene, polypropylene, Polystyrene, whereas indoor air had polyvinyl chloride. Polyethylene mainly was present in outdoor air, with lesser polypropylene and polystyrene than indoors, where polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene were in dominant proportions. Elemental mapping of outdoor and indoor air samples showed the presence of elements on the microplastics. The HYSPLIT models suggest that the particles predominantly were coming from North-West during the post-monsoon season. Principal component analysis indicated wind speed and direction influencing the abundance of microplastics. Microplastics concentration showed strong seasonal influence and potential to act as reservoir of contaminants.
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