Characterization and quantification of microplastics in indoor environments

Xiaoyu Zhai; Han Zheng; Yihao Xu; Ran Zhao; Weijie Wang; Huibin Guo

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15901

Characterization and quantification of microplastics in indoor environments

Heliyon. 2023 Apr 28;9(5):e15901. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15901. eCollection 2023 May.

Authors

Xiaoyu Zhai¹, Han Zheng¹, Yihao Xu¹, Ran Zhao¹, Weijie Wang¹, Huibin Guo¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361024, China.

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have gradually attracted attention; however, people have paid limited attention to the existence of airborne microplastics, especially in indoor environments. In this study, we tracked microplastic deposition in offices, laboratories, dining halls, and dormitories. Results showed that the average microplastic abundance in the dormitory was the highest (14088.05 pcs/m³), followed by in the office (13097.13 pcs/m³), laboratory (7512.55 pcs/m³) and dining hall (4308.26 pcs/m³). The microplastics deposited at indoor environment were mostly dark, elongated and solid. The average particle size of the microplastics sampled at the four sampling points was 66.15 $μ m$ , but the size of the microplastics in the laboratory environment was smaller and more harmful. Airflow tests using air conditioners showed that turbulence increases the resuspension of microplastics. Our results also show that the frequency of human activities is one of the main factors leading to changes in the content of microplastics in indoor air, and turbulence caused by airflow will lead to the migration of microplastics in the indoor environment. In conclusion, indoor environments are prone to high microplastic concentration, which may pose certain potential risks to human health.

Keywords: Abundance; Deposition rate; Indoor fallout; MP characterization.