@article {35238,
	title = {Human Exposure to Ambient Atmospheric Microplastics in a Megacity: Spatiotemporal Variation and Associated Microorganism-Related Health Risk},
	journal = {Environmental Science \&amp; Technology},
	volume = {58},
	year = {2024},
	pages = {3702-3713},
	abstract = {Microplastics\&nbsp;are found\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;various\&nbsp;human\&nbsp;tissues and are considered harmful, raising concerns about\&nbsp;human\&nbsp;exposure\&nbsp;to\&nbsp;microplastics\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;the environment. Existing research has analyzed indoor and occupational scenarios, but long-term monitoring of\&nbsp;ambient\&nbsp;atmospheric\&nbsp;microplastics\&nbsp;(AMPs), especially\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;highly polluted urban regions, needs\&nbsp;to\&nbsp;be further investigated. This study estimated\&nbsp;human\&nbsp;environmental\&nbsp;exposure\&nbsp;to\&nbsp;AMPs by considering inhalation, dust ingestion, and dermal\&nbsp;exposure\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;three urban functional zones within\&nbsp;a\&nbsp;megacity. The annual\&nbsp;exposure\&nbsp;quantity was 7.37 * 104 items for children and 1.06 * 105 items for adults, comparable with the\&nbsp;human\&nbsp;microplastic consumption from food and water. Significant spatiotemporal differences were observed\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;the characteristics of AMPs that humans were exposed\&nbsp;to, with wind speed and rainfall frequency mainly driving these changes. The annual\&nbsp;human\&nbsp;AMP\&nbsp;exposure\&nbsp;quantity\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;urban green land spaces, which were recognized as relatively low polluted zones, was comparable with that\&nbsp;in\&nbsp;public service zones and residential zones. Notably, significant positive correlations between the AMP characteristics and the pathogenicity of the airborne bacterial community were discovered. AMP size and immune-mediated disease risks brought by\&nbsp;atmospheric\&nbsp;microbes showed the most significant relationship, where Sphingomonas might act as the potential key mediator.},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c09271},
	author = {Libo Xu and Bai, Xinyi and Kang Li and Zhang, Guangbao and Mengjun Zhang and Min Hu and Yi Huang}
}
