COMEAP: Statement on airborne nano- and microplastic particles and fibres
An assessment of evidence on the health effects of nano- and microplastic particles and fibres in the environment.
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Nano- and microplastics (NMPs) are tiny plastic particles and fibres. They have been found almost everywhere, including in the air we breathe, both indoors and outdoors. This discovery has sparked concern about how these particles might affect our health, especially over the long term. As a result, research into NMPs has grown rapidly. However, scientists face major technical challenges in studying them, which makes it hard to draw clear conclusions.
Currently, there is not enough reliable data to say whether breathing in the NMPs in our air is harmful to our health, nor whether they are more or less harmful than other particles found in air pollution. There is evidence from historical studies of workers in plastic and textile industries that suggest the plastic particles they inhaled can affect lung function and lead to disease. However, the workers in these studies were exposed to much higher levels than the general public. Most of the existing experimental studies in laboratories use plastic beads. Neither of these types of studies reflect the types of plastic, or levels, that people are exposed to from the environment, which are likely to be much lower. Also, current technology struggles to detect the smallest plastic particles in the air or inside the human body, making it difficult to confirm whether they are present or causing harm. Scientists are also concerned that the methods used to detect NMPs in human tissues might not be reliable and might over-estimate them.
Because of these gaps, COMEAP currently advises against trying to assess population health risks from airborne NMPs until the evidence base has improved. Instead, COMEAP calls for better research methods, more realistic experiments, and improved tools to detect and study these particles. This will help understand how NMPs behave in the body and whether they pose a potential risk to health from typical indoor and outdoor exposures. Although the human health implications of NMP remain under investigation, there is good evidence of their adverse effects on the environment, and efforts aimed at reducing plastic pollution should also help reduce human exposures.
Updates to this page
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Added COMEAP header to the statements.
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First published.