Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China; Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Environ Res. 2024 Dec 15;263(Pt 3):120250. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120250. Epub 2024 Oct 28.
This study aimed to systematically assess the total environmental exposure to microplastics and determine the internal exposure levels in the human body.
A total of 26 young college students were recruited. Exposure scenario estimation methods were used to establish evaluation models. The dietary and water intake behaviors of the participants were documented with questionnaires. The food and water consumed by the participants were sampled using weight and duplicate meal methods. Furthermore, air samples from the activity regions of the participants were collected. Fasting serum, 24-h urine, and fecal samples were also collected. Pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS) helped identify the types and determine mass concentrations of microplastics across all samples, and the internal and external exposure levels of microplastics among the population were further evaluated.
Microplastics were frequently observed in food samples, with mass concentrations ranging from 2.50 to 91.30 μg/g. Water samples also contained microplastics, with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 18.41 μg/g. Indoor and outdoor air contained PS, PE, PP, PVC, and PET. The exposure levels of young college students in Changsha to microplastics through dietary intake, water intake, and inhalation were quantified at 346.65 μg/kg bw/d, 41.17 μg/kg bw/d, and 59.57 μg/kg bw/d, respectively. Cumulatively, the total exposure to microplastics from these three sources was 460.20 μg/kg bw/d. Median microplastic levels in serum and feces samples were 20.81 μg/g and 97.36 μg/g, respectively. Additionally, urine samples indicated the presence of seven types of microplastics (PS, PE, PP, PVC, PET, PA66, and PMMA), with a median exposure level of 5.06 μg/g.
Among young college students in Changsha, the primary microplastic exposure source was dietary intake, followed by air and drinking water. The internal exposure level in serum was higher than that in urine.
本研究旨在系统评估人体的总环境微塑料暴露量，并确定其体内暴露水平。
共招募了 26 名年轻大学生。采用暴露情景评估方法建立评价模型。通过问卷记录参与者的饮食和饮水行为。采用重量法和双份餐法采集参与者食用的食物和饮用水样本。此外，还采集了参与者活动区域的空气样本。采集空腹血清、24 小时尿液和粪便样本。热裂解气相色谱/质谱法（Py-GCMS）用于鉴定所有样本中的微塑料类型和确定其质量浓度，并进一步评估人群中的微塑料内外暴露水平。
食物样本中经常观察到微塑料，其质量浓度范围为 2.50 至 91.30μg/g。水样中也含有微塑料，浓度范围为 0.02 至 18.41μg/g。室内和室外空气中含有 PS、PE、PP、PVC 和 PET。长沙年轻大学生通过饮食摄入、饮水摄入和吸入途径接触微塑料的暴露水平分别为 346.65μg/kg bw/d、41.17μg/kg bw/d 和 59.57μg/kg bw/d。三者累计，从这三个来源接触微塑料的总暴露量为 460.20μg/kg bw/d。血清和粪便样本中微塑料的中位数水平分别为 20.81μg/g 和 97.36μg/g。此外，尿液样本显示存在 7 种类型的微塑料（PS、PE、PP、PVC、PET、PA66 和 PMMA），暴露中位数水平为 5.06μg/g。
在长沙的年轻大学生中，主要的微塑料暴露源是饮食摄入，其次是空气和饮用水。血清中的内暴露水平高于尿液。
