School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biotransformation of Organic Solid Waste, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
Instrumental Analysis Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Jan 1;292(Pt B):118465. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118465. Epub 2021 Nov 5.
Indoor airborne microplastics fibers (MPFs) are emerging contaminants of growing concern. Nowadays, air conditioners (ACs) are widely used in indoor environments. However, little is known about their impact on the distribution of indoor MPFs. In this study, we first disclosed the prevalence of MPF contamination in filters for indoor split ACs used in living rooms, dormitories, and offices. The average density of microfibers was 1.47-21.4 × 10 items/cm, and a total 27.7-35.0% of fibers were MPFs. Of these fibers, the majority were polyester (45.3%), rayon (27.8%), and cellophane (20.1%). We further tracked the long-term accumulation of MPFs on AC filters in three types of rooms, and demonstrated that dormitories showed relatively heavy accumulation especially after running for 35-42 days. Furthermore, we found that simulative AC filters which had been lined with PET MPFs could effectively release those MPFs into indoor air, propelling them away from the ACs at varying distances. Statistical analysis showed that the estimated daily intake of MPFs (5-5000 μm length) from AC filters would increase gradually with their usage, with the intake volume reaching up to 11.2 ± 2.2-44.0 ± 8.9 items/kg-BW/day by the 70th day, although this number varied among people of different ages. Altogether, these findings suggest that AC filters can act as both a sink and a source of microplastics fibers. Therefore, AC filters should be evaluated not only for their substantial impact on the distribution of indoor airborne MPFs, but also for their role in the prevalence of the related health risks.
室内空气传播微塑料纤维（MPF）是一种日益受到关注的新兴污染物。如今，空调（AC）广泛应用于室内环境中。然而，人们对其对室内 MPF 分布的影响知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们首先揭示了室内分体式 AC 中用于客厅、宿舍和办公室的空调过滤器中 MPF 污染的流行情况。微纤维的平均密度为 1.47-21.4×10 个/平方厘米，其中总共有 27.7-35.0%的纤维为 MPF。这些纤维中，聚酯（45.3%）、人造丝（27.8%）和玻璃纸（20.1%）占比较大。我们进一步跟踪了三种类型房间中 AC 过滤器上 MPF 的长期积累情况，并表明宿舍的积累相对较重，尤其是在运行 35-42 天后。此外，我们发现，带有 PET MPF 的模拟 AC 过滤器可以有效地将这些 MPF 释放到室内空气中，并在不同距离内将其推向远离 AC 的方向。统计分析表明，从 AC 过滤器中摄入的 MPF（5-5000μm 长度）的估计日摄入量会随着其使用而逐渐增加，到第 70 天时，摄入量可达 11.2±2.2-44.0±8.9 个/公斤-BW/天，尽管这一数字在不同年龄的人群中有所差异。总的来说，这些发现表明 AC 过滤器既可以作为微塑料纤维的汇，也可以作为其源。因此，不仅应评估 AC 过滤器对室内空气传播 MPF 分布的实质性影响，还应评估其对相关健康风险流行的作用。
