Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Characteristics, Toxic Effects, and Analytical Methods of Microplastics in the Atmosphere

This review summarizes current knowledge about the distribution, sources, and fate of microplastics in the atmosphere, along with their potential toxic effects on animals and humans. Researchers identified significant gaps in both quantitative analysis methods and understanding of the mechanisms behind inhaled microplastic toxicity. The study calls for improved sampling and characterization techniques to better assess the health risks of airborne microplastic exposure.

2021 Nanomaterials 51 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of atmospheric microplastics pollution: In-depth sighting of sources, analytical methods, physiognomies, transport and risks

This review provides an in-depth analysis of atmospheric microplastic pollution, examining sources, detection methods, physical characteristics, transport mechanisms, and health risks. Researchers found that indoor environments tend to contain higher concentrations of airborne microplastics than outdoor settings, and that current detection methods are limited in their ability to capture the smallest particles. The study emphasizes the need for standardized sampling procedures and more research into the health effects of inhaling microplastic particles.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 118 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastics: Occurrence, sources, fate, risks and mitigation

This review compiles findings from over 140 studies on airborne microplastics, covering their sources, distribution, and health risks in both indoor and outdoor environments. Researchers found that indoor environments often have higher microplastic concentrations than outdoor air, with textiles and building materials being major sources. The study highlights growing evidence that inhaled microplastics may pose respiratory health risks and calls for standardized measurement methods.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric Microplastics: Perspectives on Origin, Abundances, Ecological and Health Risks

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastics in the atmosphere, including their sources, how far they travel, and potential health effects from inhalation. Researchers found that airborne microplastics can carry toxic chemicals deep into the respiratory system and may contribute to respiratory problems and other health concerns. The study emphasizes that atmospheric microplastic pollution remains poorly understood due to a lack of standardized measurement methods.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 22 citations
Review Tier 2

Emerging environmental challenge: a critical review of airborne microplastics

This review provides a comprehensive assessment of airborne microplastic pollution, covering their sources, distribution in indoor and outdoor environments, and potential health effects. Researchers found that airborne microplastics are present in diverse settings from homes to remote mountain regions, with textile fibers being the most common type. The study highlights that understanding the health risks of inhaling these particles remains an urgent research priority.

2024 Environmental Research Communications 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the atmosphere: a review

This review assessed the current state of knowledge on microplastics in the atmosphere, finding that airborne plastic particles have been detected in both indoor and outdoor environments across multiple regions worldwide. Researchers noted that comparing results across studies is difficult because sampling methods and reporting standards vary widely. The study calls for harmonized measurement approaches so that atmospheric microplastic data can be reliably used for human health risk assessments.

2022 Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical methods, source, concentration, and human risks of microplastics: a review

This review provides a comprehensive assessment of atmospheric microplastic pollution, covering analytical detection methods, pollution sources, concentration levels, and potential human health risks from inhalation exposure. Researchers found significant variation in reported atmospheric microplastic levels due to differences in sampling and analysis methods across studies. The study calls for standardized protocols to enable meaningful comparisons and more accurate assessment of the health risks posed by airborne microplastics.

2024 Reviews on Environmental Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric Microplastics and Human Health: Sources, Exposure, and Risks

This review systematically summarizes the sources, distribution, and health implications of atmospheric microplastics in both indoor and outdoor air. The study highlights growing evidence that inhaled microplastics can enter the human body and pose potential risks to the respiratory system, while identifying key limitations and uncertainties in current exposure assessment methods.

2026 Applied and Computational Engineering
Article Tier 2

Status and prospects of atmospheric microplastics: A review of methods, occurrence, composition, source and health risks

This review summarized the sampling methods, occurrence, composition, sources, and health risks of atmospheric microplastics. Researchers found that airborne microplastics are detected both indoors and outdoors, with fibers being the most common shape, and that inhalation represents an important but understudied exposure pathway. The study suggests that atmospheric transport plays a significant role in the global distribution of microplastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Pollution 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastics: Emerging threats and health implications for humans

This review synthesizes research on airborne microplastics as emerging human health hazards, covering their sources, atmospheric transport, inhalation and ingestion exposure pathways, and evidence of toxicological impacts on the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

2025 International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review of micro- and nano-plastics in the atmosphere: Occurrence, fate, toxicity, and strategies for risk reduction.

This review examines a decade of research on micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) in the atmosphere, covering their occurrence in outdoor and indoor air, toxicological effects on human health, and strategies to reduce exposure risk from inhalation of airborne plastic particles.

2023 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of Microplastics in the Atmosphere: An Overview on Sources, Analytical Challenges, and Human Health Effects

This review examines microplastic pollution in the atmosphere, covering both indoor and outdoor sources and the challenges of measuring airborne particles. Researchers found that indoor environments, where people spend most of their time, can have particularly high concentrations of microplastics from synthetic textiles and household items. The study highlights that inhaling airborne microplastics is an important but under-studied route of human exposure.

2024 Atmosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne Microplastics: A Review Study on Method for Analysis, Occurrence, Movement and Risks

This review summarizes methods for sampling, identifying, and quantifying airborne microplastics in indoor and outdoor environments, noting that only seven studies had been published by the time of writing. Airborne microplastics are an important exposure route because people breathe them continuously, and early studies show they are ubiquitous in both indoor and outdoor air.

2019 Preprints.org 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The Current Status of Atmospheric Micro/Nanoplastics Research: Characterization, Analytical Methods, Fate, and Human Health Risk

This review synthesizes current knowledge on atmospheric micro- and nanoplastics, covering their characterization, analytical methods, environmental fate, and human health risks while highlighting the need for standardized sampling protocols to enable cross-study comparisons.

2022 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 26 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of biomonitoring microplastics in environmental matrices: Emphasis on airborne particles, dry deposits, and comparative analysis with traditional methods

This systematic review examines methods for monitoring microplastics in the air, including airborne particles and deposits. Researchers have found microplastics everywhere from city streets to clouds, underscoring the extent of airborne plastic pollution that people breathe in every day.

2025 Environmental Advances 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne Microplastics and its Impact to Environmental Health

This review compiles recent findings on airborne microplastics, examining their sources, transport pathways, and potential health effects. The study highlights that airborne microplastics can travel long distances through atmospheric currents, contaminating both urban and remote environments, and that inhalation may contribute to respiratory disorders, particularly among vulnerable populations.

2025 Water Air & Soil Pollution 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A review of airborne micro- and nano-plastics: Sampling methods, analytical techniques, and exposure risks.

This review of 140 articles on airborne micro- and nanoplastics found that diverse sampling and analytical methods make cross-study comparisons difficult, limiting exposure risk assessment. The authors recommend standardization of methods and highlight that active samplers and FTIR/Raman spectroscopy are the most commonly used approaches for collecting and identifying atmospheric plastic particles.

2024 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Sampling strategies and analytical techniques for assessment of airborne micro and nano plastics

This review evaluates sampling strategies and analytical techniques for assessing airborne micro- and nanoplastics in indoor and outdoor environments, highlighting methodological limitations and the lack of standardization that hinder cross-study comparisons.

2023 Environment International 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Aloft: A comprehensive exploration of sources, transport, variations, interactions and their implications on human health in the atmospheric realm

This review summarizes research on airborne microplastics and finds that indoor environments typically contain far more microplastic particles than outdoor air -- up to 760,000 particles per square meter per day indoors versus a maximum of about 1,159 outdoors. Sources include synthetic clothing, plastic manufacturing, and even ocean spray. Inhaled microplastics can reach deep into the lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream, raising concerns about respiratory and cardiovascular health effects.

2024 Earth-Science Reviews 28 citations
Review Tier 2

Atmospheric microplastics: A review of pollution characteristics, human exposure pathways, and emerging health risks

This comprehensive review examines microplastic pollution in indoor and outdoor air, highlighting exposure pathways and emerging health risks. Researchers found that poorly ventilated indoor spaces have the highest concentrations of airborne microplastics, while factors like humidity and ventilation significantly influence pollution levels, raising concerns about chronic inhalation exposure.

2026 Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
Article Tier 2

Airborne Microplastics: Another Threatening to Our Health

This review examines the emerging evidence on airborne microplastics, covering their sources, how they travel through the atmosphere, and how they enter the human respiratory system through inhalation. Researchers highlight potential health effects including pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, with particle size influencing how deeply they penetrate into the lungs. The study calls for standardized measurement protocols and urgent interdisciplinary research to better understand the health risks of breathing in microplastic particles.

2025 Science Insights 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an Emerging Source of Particulate Air Pollution

This review examines the growing body of research on airborne microplastics as a source of particulate air pollution, covering their sources, transport mechanisms, and presence in both indoor and outdoor environments. Researchers highlight that airborne microplastics can travel long distances and have been found in remote locations far from population centers. The study underscores significant gaps in our understanding of how inhaling these tiny plastic particles may affect human health.

2025 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The Pollution of Atmospheric Microplastics and Their Potential Risks to Humans

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.

2021 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric microplastics: A review on current status and perspectives

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastics detected in the atmosphere of urban, suburban, and remote areas around the world. Researchers found that airborne microplastic concentrations vary by one to three orders of magnitude across different locations, with fibers and fragments being the most common shapes. The study highlights the need for standardized sampling methods and further research to understand how atmospheric microplastics affect human health.

2020 Earth-Science Reviews 1243 citations