Microplastics: Beware it’s in the air!

Date: 11 December 2021

Author: Ms. Mansi Vaid

Air pollution is imposing a severe threat to humans in the present times. Apart from the conventional air pollutants that we all know about, microplastics (MPs) are relatively new and emerging pollutants in this domain. MPs are any type of plastic particles less than 5 mm in size. They can originate from primary or secondary sources. Primary ones are directly manufactured in the MP size range while secondary ones are the result of fragmentation of larger plastic debris.

Now you must be wondering, to what extent are we getting exposed to airborne MPs? Well, to answer this question we first have to understand the basic mechanisms through which MPs are travelling in indoor and outdoor air. In the outdoor air, abundance of MPs is governed by the area (industrial, urban, remote) and meteorological conditions (wind direction, wind speed, precipitation).

While in indoor air, ventilation, airflows and room distribution govern the MP channelization. Now, we know the indoor set-ups in today’s world are much more constricted in terms of space and ventilation as compared to the outdoor one, right? Plus a majority of materials in our homes have been replaced by plastics, be it furniture, cleaning and laundry processes or the synthetic textiles, WE ALL KNOW WE ARE LIVING IN A PLASTIC WORLD!

So, due to this very important reason, a majority of research studies are finding indoor air to be more polluted in terms of MPs. The role of COVID 19 pandemic is also important to be addressed here as MP origin and channelization process is multiplying due to the uncontrolled use of face masks and personal protective equipments (PPE) which are demanding higher use of single use plastics!

The problem with MPs starts arising when we HUMANs start facing health issues due to these persistent materials. Studies have shown that long term exposure to MPs can severely impact our respiratory system. The inhalation and deposition of MPs can create problems like inflammatory lesions, chronic irritation, cancer, oxidative stress, occupational health hazards like Flock workers lung and other immunotoxic or genotoxic impacts. The research investigations in this field are in preliminary stages, and a well established database on human exposure and associated health impacts is lacking. We all know air pollution is one of the major reasons for various health ailments. As a responsible citizen, we should adopt eco-friendly lifestyles and sincerely work on reducing our plastic footprint which will be for betterment of ourselves as well as other organisms thriving on our planet.

Reference:

Torres-Agullo, A., Karanasiou, A., Moreno, T., & Lacorte, S. (2021). Overview on the occurrence of microplastics in air and implications from the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Science of the Total Environment, 149555.

Edited By: Dr. Anchal Garg