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Microplastics in the Atmosphere and Their Human and Eco Risks
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This chapter reviews the presence of microplastics in outdoor and indoor air, covering how they are released, where they travel globally, and what health risks they pose when inhaled. Airborne microplastics can reach the lungs and potentially cause chronic respiratory diseases including lung cancer, and their ability to travel long distances in the atmosphere means even remote populations may be exposed.
Concern about the potential impact of microplastics on the atmosphere has gathered significant interest during the past few years. Plastic particles with a size limit of up to 5 mm are considered microplastics, and emerging research has shown the presence of nanoparticles in the air. When humans breathe, these tiny particles get into the body via inhaled air, causing mild acute shortness of breath to chronic diseases such as life-threatening lung cancer. The ecological risks from microplastics are enormous as they can move through air from short to long-range distances. In this chapter, the initial section will discuss the morphological features of the microplastics found in the atmosphere; the sources of microplastic emitters; and spatial distribution concentrating on geological locations, climatic conditions, deposition rate, and associated pollutants. The following section will discuss the impact of microplastics on human health and the eco risk. In conclusion, we will emphasise future studies that need to be conducted to minimise these pollutants in the atmosphere.
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This review summarizes what is known about airborne microplastics—tiny plastic particles floating in the air we breathe—including their sources, distribution, and potential health risks. Fibers are the most common form found in air, and inhalation is an important but underestimated route of human microplastic exposure.
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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.