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Microplastics in air: a hidden public health threat
Summary
This short review explains how microplastics become airborne from land, ocean, and industrial sources and are transported globally through the atmosphere, potentially entering the human body through inhalation. The author frames airborne microplastics as a hidden public health threat warranting greater scientific and regulatory attention.
Since the 1950s, there has been a huge increase in the production and use of plastic with the effect of modernization and industrialization. Annual plastic production has exceeded 350 million tonnes and the total amount of plastic produced has exceeded 9 billion tonnes. Although some of the plastics produced are still in use, a significant portion of them are discharged to landfills, or to various ecosystems because of some unconscious consumers. At macro level, plastic waste is decomposed into particles with a particle size of less than 5 mm with the help of external factors. These particles are called microplastics. Studies show that it is possible to find microplastics on land, in the oceans, in our food, and even in the air. This short review paper aims to inform the public about microplastics in the air, which is a potential public health threat.
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