Issue 1, 2022

Occurrence, human exposure, and risk of microplastics in the indoor environment

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are a group of emerging contaminants that have attracted increasing scientific and societal attention over the past decade due to their ubiquitous detection in all environmental compartments. So far, most studies on MPs focus on characterizing their occurrence, fate, and impact in the aquatic environment. Therefore, very little is known about the magnitude, patterns, and associated risks of human exposure to MPs, particularly indoors. This is a significant research gap given that people spend most of their time (up to 90%) indoors, which is exacerbated over the past year by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Critical evaluation of the existing literature revealed the presence of MPs at higher concentrations in indoor air and dust (from homes and offices) compared to outdoors. This was attributed to several factors including: indoor MPs sources (e.g. furniture, textiles), increased deposition of atmospheric MPs indoors, and less atmospheric mixing and dilution compared to outdoor air. Current understanding is that indoor human exposure to MPs occurs via a combination of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. Dietary intake was considered the major pathway of human exposure to MPs until recent studies revealed potential high exposure via inhalation. Moreover, exposure via inadvertent dust ingestion and dermal contact cannot be neglected, particularly for young children. This is alarming due to the potential toxic implications of MPs exposure. Early toxicological evidence indicates that small MPs (<20 µm) can cause oxidative stress and inflammation, while particles <5 µm can be engulfed by cells and translocated to accumulate in different organs. Also, there is increasing concern over potential leaching of toxic chemicals used as plastic additives (e.g. plasticizers and flame retardants) upon exposure to MPs due to their large surface area. However, MPs exposure and risk assessment in humans is still in its infancy and more research is necessary to provide the knowledge base required for regulations to protect human health and environment against MPs.

Graphical abstract: Occurrence, human exposure, and risk of microplastics in the indoor environment

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
19 iyl 2021
Accepted
22 noy 2021
First published
24 noy 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022,24, 17-31

Occurrence, human exposure, and risk of microplastics in the indoor environment

H. K. Ageel, S. Harrad and M. A. Abdallah, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022, 24, 17 DOI: 10.1039/D1EM00301A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements