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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis
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Microplastics in the surgical environment.

Daniel T Field1, Jordan L Green1, Robert Bennett2

  • 1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham HU16 5JQ, United Kingdom; Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom.

Environment International
|November 20, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Surgical environments contain atmospheric microplastics (MPs), with higher levels during working hours. Smaller MP sizes correlated with increased concentrations, primarily fragments of polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene.

Keywords:
AirDepositionFTIRMicroplasticPolymerSurgerySynthetic

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Occupational Health
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Atmospheric microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in indoor and outdoor environments, with higher concentrations often found in areas of significant human activity.
  • The presence and characteristics of MPs within critical healthcare settings like operating theatres remain largely unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify and characterize microplastics (MPs) in a surgical environment over a one-week period.
  • To determine MP levels in operating theatres and adjoining anaesthetic rooms during and outside working hours.

Main Methods:

  • MPs were collected using samplers in an operating theatre and anaesthetic room at 12-hour intervals.
  • Particles were filtered and analyzed using micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to identify polymer types and morphology.
  • Sampling occurred over a one-week period, differentiating between working and non-working hours.

Main Results:

  • Mean MP levels were higher in the operating theatre (1,924 ± 3,105 MP m⁻² day⁻¹) compared to the anaesthetic room (541 ± 969 MP m⁻² day⁻¹).
  • MP concentrations increased as particle size decreased.
  • Fragment-shaped MPs (78%) predominated, with polyethylene terephthalate (37%), polypropylene (25%), and nylon (13%) as the most abundant polymer types.
  • No MPs were detected in the theatre during non-working hours.

Conclusions:

  • The surgical environment, particularly during active procedures, harbors significant levels of atmospheric microplastics.
  • Understanding the types and sizes of MPs present is crucial for assessing potential health risks and informing future mitigation strategies.
  • Surgery may represent a novel exposure route for microplastic contaminants in humans.