A startling new study has revealed that thousands of invisible microplastic particles, small enough to lodge deep into human lungs are floating in the air we breathe every day, especially in our homes and cars.
Published this week in the journal PLOS One, the study found that adults may inhale up to 68,000 microplastic particles daily from indoor environments, far more than previously estimated.
The microscopic fragments come from everyday plastic-filled items like carpets, curtains, furniture, textiles, and even the plastic parts inside vehicles.
“People spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, homes, workplaces, shops, transportation, all the while they are exposed to microplastic pollution through inhalation without even thinking about it,” said lead researchers Jeroen Sonke and Nadiia Yakovenko in a joint statement quoted by CNN.
The research team used Raman microscopy, an advanced technique capable of detecting particles as small as 1 micrometer, to analyze air samples from apartments and cars in France. In a troubling comparison, the study found that car interiors were more contaminated than homes, registering 2,238 particles per cubic meter versus 528 indoors.
Car cabins were described as “significant sources of microplastic exposure” due to their enclosed nature and high plastic content, including dashboards, seat covers, and carpetswhich shed particles through heat, friction, and wear over time.
Experts have warned that prolonged exposure to microplastics may increase the risk of respiratory illnesses, hormone disruption, infertility, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. These tiny particles have already been found in human blood, lungs, breast milk, placenta, and even brain tissue.
Sherri “Sam” Mason, a leading microplastics researcher who was not involved in the study, told CNN: “This adds to the body of knowledge we have that microplastics are everywhere and getting into humans in every way imaginable.”
While the American Chemistry Council questioned the study’s sample size and contamination control, other scientists like Columbia University chemist Wei Min defended the method, saying it offered “sound analysis.”
Experts suggest simple ways to limit exposure — avoiding single-use plastics, using cloth bags, switching to glass food containers, and reducing time in enclosed plastic-filled spaces like cars.
As Sonke and Yakovenko concluded: “Our findings show that the everyday indoor environment where we spend most of our time can be a major source of human exposure.”
