National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan; Department of Occupational Safety and Health, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan; Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, Miaoli, 360302, Taiwan; Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan.
Environ Pollut. 2024 Dec 1;362:124994. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124994. Epub 2024 Sep 19.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants extensively detected in atmospheric environments. Airborne MPs have raised concerns due to their transport and potential health risks of inhalation exposure. However, the factors influencing airborne MPs, particularly their concentrations and shapes suspended in urban air, remain unclear. We investigated MPs in total suspension particles with one-year measurements in Taipei City and identified their features using Nile Red staining combined with fluorescence microscopy and micro-Fourier transform infrared (μFTIR) spectroscopy. This study quantified the mean number concentration of total MPs as approximately 6.0 #/m³. We observed that MP abundance varied seasonally, with higher levels in the warm season than in the cold. A similar trend was noted for polymer types. Fragment-like MPs were the predominant shape, mainly found in polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP), while fibrous MPs, detected mostly as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide (PA), were primarily observed at sizes greater than 300 μm. Both fiber and fragment-like MPs were positively associated with particle mass concentration, temperature, ultraviolet (UV) index, and wind speed, but negatively correlated with relative humidity and rainfall. Fibrous MPs were more affected by environmental factors than fragment-like MPs. Meteorological changes significantly influenced suspended MPs more than human activity within the city.
微塑料（MPs）是广泛存在于环境中的污染物，已在大气环境中广泛检测到。由于其在空气中的传输以及吸入暴露的潜在健康风险，空气中的 MPs 引起了人们的关注。然而，影响空气中 MPs 的因素，特别是它们在城市空气中悬浮的浓度和形状，仍不清楚。我们在台北市进行了为期一年的总悬浮颗粒物测量，并用尼罗红染色结合荧光显微镜和微傅里叶变换红外（μFTIR）光谱法来鉴定 MPs 的特征。本研究定量了总 MPs 的平均数浓度约为 6.0 #/m³。我们观察到 MPs 的丰度随季节变化，暖季高于冷季。聚合物类型也呈现出类似的趋势。碎片状 MPs 是主要的形状，主要存在于聚苯乙烯（PS）、聚乙烯（PE）和聚丙烯（PP）中，而纤维状 MPs，主要作为聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）和聚酰胺（PA）检测到，主要存在于大于 300μm 的尺寸中。纤维状和碎片状 MPs 均与颗粒质量浓度、温度、紫外线（UV）指数和风速呈正相关，但与相对湿度和降雨量呈负相关。纤维状 MPs 比碎片状 MPs 受环境因素的影响更大。气象变化对悬浮 MPs 的影响明显大于城市内部的人类活动。
