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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impact of Microplastic Contamination in Urban Air on Respiratory Health of School Children
ClearAn emerging class of air pollutants: Potential effects of microplastics to respiratory human health?
This review explores the emerging concern that airborne microplastics can be inhaled by humans, potentially causing adverse effects on the respiratory system. Researchers compiled available data on the concentration, size, shape, and chemical composition of microplastic particles found in urban air. The findings suggest that airborne plastic debris represents a largely understudied class of air pollutant with potential implications for human health.
Study of suspended microplastics in indoor air to assess human exposure through inhalation
Researchers studied suspended microplastics in indoor air to evaluate human exposure through inhalation. The study measured airborne microplastic concentrations in indoor environments, contributing to the growing body of evidence that inhalation represents a significant and underappreciated route of human microplastic exposure.
Microplastics in the urban atmosphere: Sources, occurrences, distribution, and potential health implications
This review summarizes research on airborne microplastics in cities, finding that indoor sources like textiles and outdoor sources like traffic-related plastic particles are major contributors. Microplastic concentrations in urban air can be significant, especially in densely populated areas, and people can inhale these particles daily. The health implications of breathing in microplastics are still being studied, but early evidence suggests they may cause lung inflammation and other respiratory problems.
Study of suspended microplastics in indoor air to assess human exposure through inhalation
Researchers investigated suspended microplastics in indoor air to assess the extent of human exposure through inhalation. The study quantified airborne microplastic particles in indoor settings, providing data on a potentially important but understudied route of daily microplastic intake for the general population.
A systematic review of the effects of airborne microplastic contamination on human lungs
This systematic review summarizes research showing that airborne microplastics have a negative effect on human lungs. Humans are estimated to inhale roughly 100,000 fine plastic particles every day, and the evidence suggests this exposure contributes to respiratory health problems, underscoring the need for policies to reduce plastic pollution in the air we breathe.
Airborne microplastics: Consequences to human health?
Researchers reviewed existing evidence on airborne microplastics and their potential effects on human respiratory health. Studies of workers exposed to plastic fibers and particles have documented airway inflammation and breathing difficulties, suggesting that susceptible individuals may face health risks even from environmental concentrations. The paper calls for greater awareness and future research into the health consequences of inhaling microplastic particles.
Impact of Airborne Microplastics on Induced Sputum of Urban Dwellers: the Role of Environmental and Occupational Factors
Researchers analyzed induced sputum samples from 25 patients with respiratory diseases and found microplastics present in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 6 to 500 particles per 100 mL. Active smokers and workers in occupations with high plastic exposure had significantly higher microplastic concentrations. The study suggests that airborne microplastic inhalation is widespread among urban residents and may be influenced by both lifestyle and occupational factors.
Detection of Microplastics in Human Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid: Preliminary Evidence of Respiratory Exposure to Environmental Contaminants
Researchers analyzed bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from eight adult patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy and detected microplastics in the samples using microscopy, providing preliminary direct evidence that airborne microplastics deposit in the human respiratory tract.
Microplastics in the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Chinese Children: Associations with Age, City Development, and Disease Features
Microplastics were detected in nearly 90% of lung fluid samples from Chinese children with respiratory diseases, with an average of about 4 particles per 10 milliliters. Younger children and those living in more developed urban areas had higher levels, likely due to more indoor crawling behavior and greater surrounding plastic use. This is significant because it confirms that children are inhaling microplastics into their lungs, and younger children may be especially vulnerable.
Indoor Airborne Microplastics: Human Health Importance and Effects of Air Filtration and Turbulence
This review examines airborne microplastics in indoor environments, where people spend most of their time and where microplastic concentrations are higher than outdoors. Most indoor airborne microplastics are textile fibers small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs, where they can enter the bloodstream and reach other organs. The authors discuss how air filtration and airflow patterns affect indoor microplastic levels, noting that breathing in microplastics may pose greater health risks than consuming them in food and drink.
Microplastic exposure in the lungs of young children and its associations with allergic rhinitis: A cross-sectional study in China
Researchers measured microplastics in lung fluid collected from 207 children in China and found that higher concentrations of certain plastics, particularly polyamide 66, were associated with increased rates of allergic rhinitis. The association was strongest in children aged six and under. The study suggests that microplastic exposure in young lungs may be linked to a higher risk of allergic respiratory conditions in early childhood.
Abundances, Characteristics, and Health Risk Assessment of Airborne Microplastics in the Urban Area: A Case Study of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Scientists found tiny plastic particles floating in the air of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with higher amounts during certain weather seasons. These microplastics are small enough to get deep into our lungs when we breathe, and adults face higher health risks than children because they breathe in more air. This research shows that people living in busy cities may be regularly breathing in plastic pollution, but more studies are needed to understand the long-term health effects.
Airborne microplastics and human health in urban environments
This review examines the sources, concentrations, and health impacts of airborne microplastics in urban environments across cities including Paris, London, Shanghai, and Delhi, covering respiratory inflammation, oxidative stress, and systemic toxicity associated with indoor and outdoor microplastic inhalation.
Breathing plastics: Influence of airborne microplastics on the respiratory microbiome and health of human lungs (Review)
Researchers reviewed evidence showing that inhaled airborne microplastics can physically interact with the microbial community living in human lungs, disrupting its balance and triggering inflammation linked to conditions like asthma and fibrosis. Because microplastic particles have been found in lung tissue and fluid samples, inhalation is now recognized as a significant exposure route with measurable consequences for respiratory health.
Unveiling the hidden pollutants in the indoor environment: Focus on microplastic pollution and its related risks in the educational institutions of megacity, Bangladesh
Researchers measured microplastic pollution in classroom dust at educational institutions in Dhaka, Bangladesh, finding significant levels of contamination in indoor environments where children spend much of their day. The most common particles were fibers from synthetic textiles, and the concentrations varied based on room type and ventilation. Since children breathe closer to the ground and have developing lungs, this indoor microplastic exposure is a health concern that deserves attention.
Human Exposure to Airborne Microplastics: A Study on Detection and Potential Health Effects Using BAL Fluid
This study detected inhaled microplastics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the lower respiratory tract of human patients and found associations between microplastic presence and markers of lung inflammation and impaired lung function.
[Distribution, Respiratory Exposure, and Traceability of Atmospheric Microplastics in Yichang City].
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.
Presence of airborne microplastics in human lung tissue
Researchers examined human lung tissue from autopsies and found microplastic particles and fibers in 13 out of 20 samples. The most common plastics were polyethylene and polypropylene, with particles smaller than 5.5 micrometers. This study provides direct evidence that inhaled microplastics accumulate in human lungs, raising concerns about potential long-term effects on respiratory health.
Breathing plastics in Metro Manila, Philippines: Presence of suspended atmospheric microplastics in ambient air
Researchers detected suspended atmospheric microplastics in ambient air samples from 16 cities and one municipality in Metro Manila, Philippines, confirming that urban air in Southeast Asia contains respirable plastic particles and raising concern about inhalation exposure among dense urban populations.
Airborne Microplastic Concentrations in Five Megacities of Northern and Southeast China
Researchers used uniform sampling methods to measure airborne microplastic concentrations across five major cities in northern and southeastern China. They found that indoor environments generally had higher microplastic levels than outdoor air, with fibers being the most common particle type. The study provides some of the first directly comparable data on airborne microplastic exposure across multiple cities, suggesting that people in densely populated areas face meaningful inhalation risks.
Individual Exposure to Microplastics through the Inhalation Route: Comparison of Microplastics in Inhaled Indoor Aerosol and Exhaled Breath Air
In a study of 30 volunteers in Shanghai, researchers measured microplastics in both the indoor air people breathed in and the air they exhaled. They found an average of 43 microplastic particles per cubic meter in inhaled air but only 12 in exhaled breath, suggesting that a significant portion of inhaled microplastics are retained in the respiratory system. This is one of the first studies to directly quantify how much airborne microplastic people actually absorb through breathing.
Atmospheric microplastics deposition in a central Indian city: Distribution, characteristics and seasonal variations
Researchers measured airborne microplastic fallout in the Indian city of Nagpur and found 213 to 543 particles per square meter per day raining down from the sky, mostly tiny fibers from textiles. Children's estimated inhalation exposure was nearly double that of adults relative to body weight, raising particular health concerns about microplastic exposure through the air we breathe.
Simulating human exposure to indoor airborne microplastics using a Breathing Thermal Manikin
Researchers used a breathing thermal manikin to simulate human exposure to airborne microplastics inside three apartments and found that every sample contained microplastic particles. Polyester and polyamide fibers from textiles were the most common types detected. The study estimates that people inhale meaningful quantities of microplastics indoors, identifying a significant but understudied route of human exposure.
Long-term assessment of microplastics in indoor high school air: Abundance, sources, and polymeric analysis
Researchers monitored airborne microplastic concentrations in indoor high school environments over an extended period, identifying sources and seasonal patterns. Indoor air contained substantial microplastic levels, with textile fibers and outdoor infiltration contributing to persistent classroom air contamination.