A recent study highlights that we inhale 68,000 microplastic particles each day, primarily indoors. These tiny particles, found in higher concentrations in enclosed spaces like cars and homes, pose potential health risks as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system.
Study Reveals We Inhale 68,000 Microplastic Particles Daily
Study Reveals We Inhale 68,000 Microplastic Particles Daily
68,000 extremely small microplastic particles. That's what we inhale every day, according to a new study. Most of these particles are absorbed indoors, in enclosed spaces.
Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic and rubber up to five millimeters in size. How they affect humans and the environment is not yet fully established, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, but it is clear that tons of them exist in the oceans.
And in the air.
"Not Surprising"
According to a new study published in the scientific journal Plos One a month ago, and reported by The Guardian and SVT, we inhale 68,000 microplastic particles daily.
"It's not surprising because we know that the concentration is getting higher and higher," says Juliana Aristéia de Lima, senior researcher at the Research Institutes of Sweden, to SVT.
The Guardian reports that smaller microplastic particles, between one and ten micrometers or about one-seventh of a hair's width, are inhaled through the air, and the study suggests that "the health effects of inhaling microplastics may be more significant than we understand."
"We were quite surprised by the levels we found. It was much higher than previously estimated," says researcher Nadiia Yakovenko at the University of Toulouse in France to The Guardian.
Researchers: "It's Dangerous"
She continues:
"The particle is small and known to transfer to tissue, which is dangerous as it can enter the bloodstream and deep into the respiratory system."
In the study, researchers measured the levels of microplastic particles in various rooms in several apartments and cars. In cars, the concentration was about four times higher than in apartments, while the concentration in apartments was significantly higher than outdoors. This is partly due to poor ventilation and the enclosed environment combined with a lot of plastic in a relatively small area. This is concerning, according to the study's authors, as we spend a large portion of our time indoors.