Unveiling the hidden pollutants in the indoor environment: Focus on microplastic pollution and its related risks in the educational institutions of megacity, Bangladesh

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2025-07-14 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126831

Tapos Kumar Chakraborty , Partha Chandra Debnath , Gehendra Kharel , Baytune Nahar Netema , Md Simoon Nice , Khandakar Rashedul Islam , Pragga Chowdhury , Md Sozibur Rahman , Samina Zaman , Gopal Chandra Ghosh , Monishanker Halder , Nazmul Hossain

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Abstract

Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are an emerging environmental contaminant of increasing concern due to their potential adverse effects on human health. While indoor environments represent a significant location for human exposure, data on MP occurrence and characteristics in these settings remain limited, particularly in densely populated urban areas. This study first investigated the abundance, distribution, characteristics, and potential risks of MPs in settled dust collected from classrooms within educational institutions in the megacity of Bangladesh. Microplastics were extracted from dust samples using wet peroxide oxidation. Quantification and morphological characterization (shape, size, color) were performed using stereomicroscopy. Polymer identification was conducted using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) was employed to analyze surface morphology and elemental composition. The mean abundance of MPs was 16436.67 ± 8534.06 n/kg, with considerable variability observed across sampling locations. Fibers comprised the predominant shape (89 %), with the 100–500 μm size range being most prevalent (44 %). Black was the most frequently observed color (35.5 %). Polystyrene (PS) was the most abundant polymer type (40.6 %), followed by polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyurethane (PUR). The pollution load index (PLI) values exceeded 1, indicating significant MP contamination. Other risk assessment indices, including the contamination factor (range: 1.00–6.14) and the Nemerow pollution index (range: 4.40–6.14), suggested moderate to high levels of MP pollution. The polymeric hazard index (269.33–1150.73) indicated considerable to high polymer-associated risks. SEM-EDS analysis revealed the presence of secondary MPs and associated potentially toxic elements (e.g., Hg, Pb, As). Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that both indoor activities and the outdoor environment contribute to MP pollution in classrooms. Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) via dust ingestion were 0.39 ± 0.20 particles/day for children and 0.29 ± 0.15 particles/day for adults. Lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) assessments indicated a potential for moderate carcinogenic risk for both exposure groups, with children exhibiting a higher estimated risk. These findings highlight the need for further research to fully characterize indoor MP exposure's sources, pathways, and health risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.

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揭示室内环境中隐藏的污染物：关注孟加拉国大城市教育机构中的微塑料污染及其相关风险

微塑料（MPs）被定义为小于5毫米的塑料颗粒，是一种新兴的环境污染物，因其对人类健康的潜在不利影响而日益受到关注。虽然室内环境是人类暴露的重要场所，但在这些环境中，特别是在人口稠密的城市地区，关于MP发生和特征的数据仍然有限。本研究首先调查了孟加拉国特大城市教育机构教室内收集的沉降尘中MPs的丰度、分布、特征和潜在风险。采用湿式过氧化氧化法从粉尘样品中提取微塑料。用立体显微镜进行定量和形态学表征（形状、大小、颜色）。采用衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱（ATR-FTIR）对聚合物进行鉴定。利用扫描电子显微镜和能量色散x射线能谱仪（SEM-EDS）分析了表面形貌和元素组成。MPs的平均丰度为16436.67±8534.06 n/kg，在不同的采样地点观察到相当大的差异。纤维构成了主要形状（89%），100-500 μm尺寸范围最普遍（44%）。黑色是最常见的颜色（35.5%）。聚苯乙烯（PS）是最丰富的聚合物类型（40.6%），其次是聚丙烯（PP）、聚乙烯（PE）、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）、聚酰胺（PA）、聚氯乙烯（PVC）和聚氨酯（PUR）。污染负荷指数（PLI）大于1，表明MP污染严重。其他风险评估指数，包括污染系数（范围：1.00 - 6.14）和Nemerow污染指数（范围：4.40 - 6.14），表明MP污染处于中度至重度。聚合物危害指数（269.33 ~ 1150.73）表明存在较高的聚合物相关风险。SEM-EDS分析显示存在次生MPs和相关的潜在有毒元素（例如，Hg, Pb, As）。主成分分析（PCA）表明，室内活动和室外环境都对教室的MP污染有贡献。儿童和成人通过灰尘摄入估计的每日摄入量分别为0.39±0.20和0.29±0.15颗粒/天。终身癌症风险（LTCR）评估表明，两个暴露组都有中等致癌风险的可能性，儿童表现出更高的估计风险。这些发现突出了进一步研究的必要性，以充分表征室内多聚污染物暴露的来源、途径和健康风险，并制定有效的缓解策略。

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.