Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Possibilities and Limitations of AFM-IR to Detect Nanoplastic Particles in the Atmosphere

Researchers evaluated the capabilities and limitations of AFM-IR spectroscopy for detecting nanoplastic particles in atmospheric samples. They found that while the technique can identify individual nanoplastic particles, significant challenges remain in quantifying atmospheric nanoplastic concentrations due to detection limits and sample preparation complexity. The study highlights the need for improved analytical methods to assess human inhalation exposure to nanoplastics.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental water by AFM-IR

Scientists used a new technique called AFM-IR, which combines atomic force microscopy with infrared spectroscopy, to identify individual nanoplastic particles in environmental water for the first time. This method can detect particles as small as 100 nanometers, far beyond the limits of traditional microscopy. They found several types of nanoplastics in a water sample, including an epoxy and a biodegradable plastic, demonstrating that this tool could improve our ability to track nanoplastic pollution.

2025 Analytica Chimica Acta 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermal desorption and analysis of atmospheric nanoplastics via PTR-MS

Scientists developed a new method to detect tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics in air and water by heating them up and analyzing the gases they release. This is important because nanoplastics are so small they can get into our bodies through the air we breathe and food we eat, but until now they've been very hard to measure. The new technique could help researchers better understand how much plastic pollution we're actually exposed to and its potential health effects.

2026
Article Tier 2

HoLDI mass spectrometry for rapid, solventless detection of airborne nanoplastics and co-occurring aerosol organics

Scientists developed a new, faster way to detect tiny plastic particles floating in the air we breathe, both indoors and outdoors. The method found plastic particles from common materials like polyethylene in indoor air and cancer-causing chemicals attached to nano-sized particles in outdoor air. This breakthrough could help us better understand how much plastic pollution we're breathing in and its potential health risks.

2026
Review Tier 2

Analysing micro- and nanoplastics with cutting-edge infrared spectroscopy techniques: a critical review

This review evaluates cutting-edge infrared spectroscopy techniques for detecting and analyzing micro- and nanoplastics in environmental and food samples. Better detection methods are crucial for understanding human exposure because they allow scientists to measure smaller particles more accurately, including nanoplastics that are small enough to cross biological barriers and accumulate in human tissues.

2024 Analytical Methods 44 citations
Article Tier 2

The quantification of the airborne plastic particles of 0.43–11 μm: Procedure development and application to atmospheric environment

Researchers developed a new method for measuring airborne plastic particles as small as 0.43 micrometers, a size range rarely studied before. Testing the approach in real atmospheric conditions, they detected multiple types of plastic polymers in the air, including polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET, providing evidence that people are regularly breathing in ultrafine plastic particles.

2024 Chemosphere 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory Investigation of Nanoplastic Mixing States with Water-Soluble Coatings using Single-Particle Mass Spectrometry

Scientists developed a new method to detect tiny plastic particles in the air and see what other chemicals stick to them, like salts and acids. They found that these nanoplastics can pick up different coatings as they float through the atmosphere, which changes how they move and where they end up. This matters for human health because understanding how these plastic particles travel and what they carry with them helps us predict where they might be breathed in by people.

2026
Article Tier 2

Recognition and detection technology for microplastic, its source and health effects

This review summarizes current knowledge about detecting microplastics and their effects on human health, covering methods like FTIR spectroscopy and Raman imaging. The authors highlight that micro- and nanoplastics can cause a range of health problems including oxidative stress, reduced reproductive ability, inflammation, and damage to the circulatory and respiratory systems. The review emphasizes the urgent need for better detection methods so that researchers and regulators can accurately assess how much microplastic people are actually exposed to.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the Chemical Composition and Real-Time Mass Loading of Nanoplastic Particles in the Atmosphere Using Aerosol Mass Spectrometry

Scientists developed the first real-time method to measure nanoplastic particles in the air using a specialized instrument called an aerosol mass spectrometer. They detected polystyrene nanoplastics at an urban site in China at concentrations of around 47 nanograms per cubic meter, confirming that we are breathing in tiny plastic particles. This tool could help researchers better understand how much airborne nanoplastic pollution people are actually exposed to.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman Spectral Imaging for the Detection of Inhalable Microplastics in Ambient Particulate Matter Samples

Researchers developed a filter-based sampling method compatible with Raman spectral imaging to detect inhalable-sized microplastics in ambient air samples. They successfully identified and mapped plastic particles as small as a few micrometers on sampling filters. The study provides a practical new analytical approach for measuring airborne microplastic exposure, an area where reliable detection methods have been lacking.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of Microplastics in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Raman Spectral Imaging and Chemometric Analysis

Researchers optimized Raman spectral imaging combined with chemometric analysis to detect and identify microplastics in ambient airborne particulate matter at sizes down to 2 micrometers. The study demonstrates a method for spectroscopically verifying the chemical composition of airborne microplastics, addressing concerns about human inhalation exposure to small plastic particles that can reach the lungs.

2020 Analytical Chemistry 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Single-Particle Analytical Technique for Inhalable Airborne Microplastic Particles by the Combined Use of Fluorescence Microscopy, Raman Microspectrometry, and SEM/EDX

Researchers developed a new method combining fluorescence microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy to analyze individual airborne microplastic particles small enough to inhale. The technique can identify both the polymer type and chemical composition of particles under 10 micrometers found in urban air samples. Better tools for characterizing breathable microplastics are essential for understanding respiratory exposure risks.

2023 Analytical Chemistry 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Identifying Microplastics in Laboratory and Atmospheric Aerosol Mixtures via Optical Photothermal Infrared and Raman Microspectroscopy

Researchers developed optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy methods to identify microplastics in both laboratory-prepared and real atmospheric aerosol samples, demonstrating the technique's ability to distinguish plastic particles from other aerosol components in complex air quality monitoring contexts.

2025 Analytical Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Development and validation of an analytical pyrolysis method for detection of airborne polystyrene nanoparticles

Scientists developed and validated a new method using thermal analysis to detect airborne polystyrene nanoparticles, which are too small for most current detection techniques. The method can measure nanoplastics at the nanogram level, enabling researchers to quantify these tiny particles in air samples. This is important for human health research because airborne nanoplastics are likely widespread but have been difficult to measure, and understanding air concentrations is essential for assessing how much people inhale.

2024 Journal of Chromatography A 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-Resolved Identification and Quantification of Micro/Nanoplastics in Indoor Air Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography–Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Scientists developed a new method to measure micro and nanoplastics in indoor air down to 56 nanometers in size, using advanced mass spectrometry techniques. They found significant concentrations of plastic particles in both a laboratory and a private home, with polystyrene being the most common type, and also detected flame retardant chemicals associated with plastic furniture foam. This study provides some of the first evidence that people are breathing in substantial amounts of nanoscale plastic particles indoors, where most people spend the majority of their time.

2024 Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of microplastics in human lung tissue using μFTIR spectroscopy

Researchers analyzed lung tissue from 13 people and found microplastics in 11 of the samples, identifying 12 different plastic types including polypropylene and polyester. The particles were found in all regions of the lungs, with significantly higher concentrations in the lower lung. This is one of the first studies to directly confirm that microplastics from everyday environments can be inhaled and accumulate deep in human lung tissue.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 1264 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Single-Particle Analytical Technique for Inhalable Airborne Microplastic Particles by the Combined Use of Fluorescence Microscopy, Raman Microspectrometry, and SEM/EDX

Researchers developed a novel single-particle analytical method combining fluorescence microscopy, Raman microspectrometry, and SEM/EDX to characterize inhalable airborne microplastics smaller than 10 µm in ambient PM10 aerosols, addressing a critical gap in understanding respiratory exposure to plastic particles.

2023
Article Tier 2

IdentifyingMicroplastics in Laboratory and AtmosphericAerosol Mixtures via Optical Photothermal Infrared and Raman Microspectroscopy

This study applied optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy to identify microplastics in atmospheric aerosol mixtures, demonstrating that the technique can distinguish plastic particles by polymer type in complex air samples relevant to understanding human inhalation exposure to airborne MPs.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Inhalable microplastics prevails in air: Exploring the size detection limit

Researchers developed a method using Raman microscopy to detect airborne microplastics as small as 1 micrometer, significantly improving upon previous detection limits. They found that the number of microplastics in air samples increased dramatically when smaller particles were counted, with inhalable-sized particles being the most prevalent. The findings suggest that current estimates of human microplastic exposure through breathing may substantially undercount the actual amount.

2022 Environment International 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitation of Atmospheric Suspended Polystyrene Nanoplastics by Active Sampling Prior to Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Scientists developed a method to measure polystyrene nanoplastics suspended in outdoor air using active air sampling and a specialized chemical analysis technique. They detected nanoplastics at multiple locations, confirming that these ultra-small plastic particles are present in the air we breathe. Since nanoplastics are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream, reliable measurement methods like this are critical for understanding airborne exposure risks.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Detecting small microplastics down to 1.3 μm using large area ATR-FTIR

Researchers introduced large-area ATR-FTIR spectroscopy as a new technique capable of detecting microplastics as small as 1.3 micrometers, outperforming conventional micro-FTIR for small particle detection in marine water samples.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 23 citations
Article Tier 2

A fluorescence approach for an online measurement technique of atmospheric microplastics

Scientists developed a fluorescence-based instrument that can detect airborne microplastic particles in real time, rather than requiring slow laboratory analysis. The tool successfully identified common plastic types like PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene as individual particles in the air. This technology could help researchers better understand how much microplastic people are actually breathing in, which is important for assessing respiratory health risks from airborne plastic pollution.

2024 Environmental Science Atmospheres 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Advances in Analytical Techniques to Detect Micro- and Nanoplastics

This research review summarizes the current methods scientists use to detect and study microplastics and nanoplastics - tiny plastic particles that can get into our environment, food, and bodies. The authors explain that identifying these extremely small plastic pieces is very challenging and requires advanced laboratory techniques to understand what types of plastics they are and how much is present. Better detection methods are important because we need to understand how much plastic pollution we're exposed to and its potential effects on human health.

2026
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)