Review progress on respiratory exposure and health effects of environmental microplastics

In this review, the pollution status of atmospheric microplastics was introduced, with a focus on its distribution characteristics, such as abundance, composition, shape, and size, as well as the evidence of microplastics in human respiratory system. Further, the potential health effects of respiratory exposure to microplastics were summarized. Lastly, some prospects were proposed for future research, including emphasizing and improving the knowledge on potential harmful effects of microplastics or smaller sized nanoplastics, and strengthening the exposure characteristics analysis, health risk assessment, and the toxicological mechanistic investigations. © 2024 Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences. All rights reserved.