Every day we could inhale tens of thousands of microplastics simply by breathing the air inside our homes and cars. A continuous, invisible and much more dangerous exhibition than you thought. To launch the alarm is a new study by the University of Toulouse, published in the magazine Plos Onewhich detected microplastics concentrations up to 100 times higher than previous estimates.
That microplastics polluted oceans, soils and even the arctic snow had been known for some time. But now the discovery made by this study complicates the situation even more: in fact it seems that these particles end up directly in our lungs, with a level of daily exposure so far underestimated. According to the study, we could get to inhale up to 68,000 particles per day, many of which are so small as to reach the depths of the respiratory system.
The air of the house (and cars) is full of plastic
The researchers analyzed 16 air samples from apartments and car housing in real living conditions, using an advanced technique of raman spectroscopy.
Thus they found themselves in front of an average of 528 particles per cube of air in homes and 2,238 particles per cube meter in cars. Most of these are tiny fragments, with a diameter between 1 and 10 micrometers, smaller than a grain of dust.
As the researcher Nadiia Yakovenko explained:
People spend 90% of their time on average in closed environments, including houses, workplaces, shops, transport, etc., and in the meantime they are exposed to pollution from microplastics through inhalation, without even realizing it. For this reason, we have studied our homes and our personal vehicles, often neglected environments, but which play an important role in our daily exposure.
Cars: unsuspected outbreaks of microplastics
A particularly disturbing figure concerns cars, real plastic boxes on wheels. The interior of the car is rich in plastic materials – dashboard, cladding, upholstery – which, subjected to heat, friction and sunlight, release particles in the air. And considering that a person spends on average over 300 hours a year at the helm, the exhibition can become relevant.
Why are these particles so dangerous?
The real novelty of this study lies precisely in the dimension of the particles analyzed. Previous research had focused on larger particles (between 20 and 200 micrometers), but it is the most fine and invisible fraction that is the most insidious. Microplastics lower than 10 µm can infiltrate deeply in the respiratory system, causing irritation, inflammation and potentially releasing toxic substances such as phthalates and bisphenol A.
Although the effects on health are not yet completely known, scientists fear that prolonged exposure can contribute to respiratory problems, hormonal dysfunctions, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and increased risk of cancer.
What can we do
There are currently no official standards for indoor air quality in relation to microplastics but researchers hope that these results push health authorities to consider pollution from microplastics a concrete risk.
In the meantime, we can take some measures to reduce the exposure:
The problem is that steming the quantity of microplastics to which we are constantly exposed is extremely difficult, in fact they are everywhere and are now an integral part of the environment that surrounds us.
The research team has announced its intention to extend the analysis to other indoor environments and to deepen how daily habits can affect exposure levels:
We want to better understand the sources and the behavior of microplastics in closed spaces, to evaluate their health effects with greater precision – concludes Yakovenko.
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