Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research of the Spanish Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research of the Spanish Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
Environ Int. 2023 Aug;178:108129. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108129. Epub 2023 Aug 2.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of face masks has been a worldwide primary protection measure to contain the spread of the virus. However, very little information is known about the possible inhalation of microplastics (MP) from wearing masks. This pilot study evaluates the presence of MP accumulated in nasal cavities through the nasal lavages technique. Six different commercial face masks were tested in 18 participants during five working days (8 h use/day). Eight different polymers (polystyrene, polyamide, poly(ethylene - propylene) diene monomer, polyester, polyethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride) predominantly within the 20-300 µm size were detected in nasal lavages, with an average concentration of 28.3 ± 15.6 MP/5 mL nasal solution. Results demonstrate that MP in the nasal cavity are not associated to face mask use but rather to general exposure to airborne MP. We highlight the use of nasal lavages to evaluate human inhalation of MP and associate it to potential sources and risks.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，口罩的使用已成为全球范围内控制病毒传播的主要保护措施。然而，对于佩戴口罩时可能吸入微塑料（MP）的情况，我们知之甚少。本初步研究通过鼻冲洗技术评估了鼻腔中积聚的 MP。在五个工作日（每天使用 8 小时）内，对 18 名参与者的六款不同的商业口罩进行了测试。在鼻冲洗液中检测到了八种不同的聚合物（聚苯乙烯、聚酰胺、聚（乙烯-丙烯）二烯单体、聚酯、聚乙烯、聚偏二氟乙烯、聚丙烯和聚氯乙烯），主要粒径在 20-300μm 之间，平均浓度为 28.3±15.6 MP/5mL 鼻溶液。结果表明，鼻腔中的 MP 与口罩的使用无关，而与空气中 MP 的普遍暴露有关。我们强调了使用鼻冲洗来评估人类对 MP 的吸入，并将其与潜在的来源和风险联系起来。
