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Microplastics in indoor environment and their influence on indoor air quality
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This study investigated microplastic presence in indoor environments and examined how these particles influence indoor air quality. The research highlighted indoor spaces as a significant, often overlooked exposure route for humans encountering airborne microplastic particles.
International audience
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A Review on Microplastics in Indoor Environments: Techniques for Measurement and Environmental Implications
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This review found that microplastics are widespread in indoor environments including homes, offices, and other enclosed spaces, arriving through air, textiles, and consumer products. Since people spend the majority of their time indoors, indoor microplastic exposure through inhalation and ingestion may be a significant and underappreciated component of total human exposure.
Microplastics in Indoor Air and Dust: Characterization, Risk Factors, and Health Risks
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This review synthesizes global data on microplastic concentrations in indoor air and dust across different building types and income regions, finding that lower-middle-income countries — especially in Southeast Asia and South America — have the highest indoor airborne microplastic levels. The results underscore that humans face continuous inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure to microplastics in everyday indoor environments, with documented links to oxidative stress, inflammation, and multi-organ toxicity.
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Sampling indoor and outdoor air at hospitals across multiple departments revealed average MP concentrations of 29.75 MPs/m³ indoors—over 13 times the outdoor level—with laboratory departments showing the highest concentrations, translating to estimated daily inhalation of 157 MPs/day for indoor occupants. The elevated indoor hospital exposure suggests healthcare workers and vulnerable patients face disproportionate microplastic inhalation risks, warranting ventilation and material-use reforms in clinical settings.
Comparison of Microplastic Characteristics in the Indoor and Outdoor Air of Urban Areas of South Korea
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Researchers compared indoor and outdoor airborne microplastic levels across urban South Korea, finding indoor concentrations were about 1.5 times higher than outdoors and that building ventilation rates directly influenced particle accumulation, suggesting ventilation management as a key exposure-reduction strategy.
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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.