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Updated: Jul 6, 2025
Whole-Body Nanoparticle Aerosol Inhalation Exposures
Published on: May 7, 2013
Systematic review of microplastics and nanoplastics in indoor and outdoor air: identifying a framework and data needs
Tiffany Eberhard1, Gaston Casillas2, Gregory M Zarus2
1Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. eberhardtiff@gmail.com.
Background:
Humans are likely exposed to microplastics (MPs) in a variety of places including indoor and outdoor air. Research to better understand how exposure to MPs correlates to health is growing. To fully understand the possible impacts of MPs on human health, it is necessary to quantify MP exposure and identify what critical data gaps exist.
Objectives:
The current paper provides a human exposure assessment of microplastics in the air using systematically reviewed literature that provided concentration of MPs in air as well as doses used in toxicology studies to calculate inhalation exposure dose.
Methods:
All published peer-reviewed journal articles, non-published papers, and grey literature that focused on micro- or nano-plastics in indoor and outdoor air were systematically searched using PRISMA guidelines. Literature that defined specific concentrations and size of MPs in air or exposed to human lung cells, animals, or humans with measurable health impacts were included in data extraction. Inhalational exposures were calculated for different age groups using published MP concentrations from the included literature using exposure dose equations and values from U.S. ATSDR and EPA.
Results:
Calculated mean indoor inhalational exposures from passive sampling methods were higher than those calculated from active sampling methods. When comparing indoor and outdoor sampling, calculated inhalation exposures from indoor samples were greater than those from outdoor samples. Inhalation exposures of MPs differed between age groups with infants having the highest calculated dose values for all locations followed by preschool age children, middle-school aged children, pregnant women, adolescents, and non-pregnant adults. MP doses used in toxicology studies produced higher calculated mean inhalational exposures than those from environmental samples.
Impact:
This study is the first known systematic review of inhalational MP exposure from indoor and outdoor air. It also provides inhalational exposures calculated from previously published environmental samples of MPs as well as from toxicology studies.
