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[Distribution, Respiratory Exposure, and Traceability of Atmospheric Microplastics in Yichang City].
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Researchers sampled airborne microplastics at 16 locations across Yichang City, China, and found them in every area, with the highest concentrations settling over urban residential neighborhoods. The particles were mostly polyester fibers and came predominantly from nearby sources rather than long-range transport. Daily inhalation estimates were calculated for both adults and children, highlighting indoor and outdoor respiratory exposure as a meaningful human health concern that warrants tighter monitoring.
As an emerging environmental pollutant, microplastics have attracted much attention, but the sources and health hazards of atmospheric microplastics (AMPs) remain unclear. In order to explore the distribution characteristics, assess the risk of human respiratory exposure, and analyze the sources of AMPs in different functional areas of Yichang City, AMPs samples from 16 observation points were collected and analyzed, and the HYSPLIT model was used. The results showed that the main shapes of AMPs in Yichang City were fiber, fragment, and film, and six colors were observed including transparent, red, black, green, yellow, and purple. The smallest size was 10.42 μm, and the largest was 4761.42 μm. The deposition flux of AMPs was (4400±474) n·(m2·d)-1. The types of APMs were polyester fiber (PET), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polyamide (PA), rubber (Rubber), polyethylene (PE), cellulose acetate (CA), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The order of the subsidence flux in each functional area was as follows:urban residential area>agricultural production area>landfill>chemical industrial park>town residential area. The human respiratory exposure risk assessment models showed that the daily intake of AMPs (EDI) for adults and children in urban residential areas was higher than in town residential areas. The atmospheric backward trajectory simulation showed that the AMPs in the districts and counties of Yichang City mainly came from the surrounding areas via short-distance transportation. This study provided basic data support for the research on AMPs in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and was of great significance for the traceability and health risk research of AMPs pollution.
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