Human health effects of airborne microplastics

Microplastics are ubiquitous in various environments and have become a global environmental issue. Since atmospheric microplastics can be directly inhaled into the human body and pose health risks, it has aroused public concern. Recent years, microplastics in the atmosphere have been studied in some area. However, the research on detecting airborne microplastics worldwide and revealing their health effect is still limited, which has affected the public's further understanding of atmospheric microplastics. In this chapter, we summarize the current studies on atmospheric microplastics including their occurrence, characteristics resource and fate. Atmospheric microplastics have been found in outdoor, indoor, urban, suburban and remote environments, while the different methods used in studies affect the comparison of atmospheric microplastic pollution levels in different regions. Besides, we discuss the potential effect on human health when exposed to airborne microplastics. Inhalation of microplastics and attached containments could induce particle and chemical toxicity, and some respiratory symptoms might occur. The reports on occupational diseases in industry workers also indicate the potential harm of microplastics. Meanwhile, we provide some recommendations for future atmospheric microplastic research. In a word, this chapter presents a comprehensive review of the occurrence of atmospheric microplastics, the detection methods and their potential health risk to humans.