Review of microplastics in the indoor environment: Distribution, human exposure and potential health impacts

Dewika M 1 , Markandan K 2 , Irfan NA 3 , Mohd Abdah MAA 4 , Ruwaida JN 5 , Sara YY 6 Show all authors , Khalid M 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 Centre of American Education, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: dewikan@sunway.edu.my
  • 2 Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Centre of American Education, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 4 Graphene & Advanced 2D Materials Research Group (GAMRG), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; Sunway Materials Smart Science & Engineering (SMS2E) Research Cluster, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia
  • 5 Air Resources Research Laboratory, Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology, 54100, UTM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 6 Faculty of Civil Engineering & Technology, University Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pusat Pengajian Jejawi 3, 02600, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
  • 7 Graphene & Advanced 2D Materials Research Group (GAMRG), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; Sunway Materials Smart Science & Engineering (SMS2E) Research Cluster, Sunway University, No. 5, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia; Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 248007, Uttarakhand, India. Electronic address: khalids@sunway.edu.my
Chemosphere, 2023 May;324:138270.
PMID: 36878370 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138270

Abstract

The emergence of microplastics (MPs) pollution as a global environmental concern has attracted significant attention in the last decade. The majority of the human population spends most of their time indoors, leading to increased exposure to MPs contamination through various sources such as settled dust, air, drinking water and food. Although research on indoor MPs has intensified significantly in recent years, comprehensive reviews on this topic remain limited. Therefore, this review comprehensively analyses the occurrence, distribution, human exposure, potential health impact and mitigation strategies of MPs in the indoor air environment. Specifically, we focus on the risks associated with finer MPs that can translocate into the circulatory system and other organs, emphasizing the need for continued research to develop effective strategies to mitigate the risks associated with MPs exposure. Our findings suggest that indoor MPs impose potential risk to human health, and strategies for mitigating exposure should be further explored.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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