Quantitation of Atmospheric Suspended Polystyrene Nanoplastics by Active Sampling Prior to Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Plastic has been demonstrated to release nanoplastics (NPs) into the atmosphere under sunlight irradiation, posing a continuous health risk to the respiratory system. However, due to lack of reliable quantification methods, the occurrence and distribution of NPs in the atmosphere remain unclear. Polystyrene (PS) micro-and nanoplastics (MNPs) represent a crucial component of atmospheric MNPs. In this study, we proposed a simple and robust method for determining the concentration of atmospheric PS NPs using pyrolysis−gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Following active sampling, the filter membrane is directly ground and introduced into the Py-GC/MS system to quantify PS NPs. The proposed method demonstrates excellent reproducibility and high sensitivity, with a detection limit as low as down to 15 pg/m 3 for PS NPs. By using this method, the occurrence of PS NPs in both indoor and outdoor atmospheres has been confirmed. Furthermore, the results showed that the abundance of outdoor PS NPs was significantly higher than that of indoor samples, and there was no significant difference in NP vertical distribution within a height of 28.6 m. This method can be applied for the routine monitoring of atmospheric PS NPs and for evaluating their risk to human health.

Into the Nanograms─Sensitive Detection of Microplastics in Passively Sampled Indoor Air Using F-Splitless Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

“…Uncertainties were addressed through the manual inspection of software integrations, retention time comparison of calibration standards at multiple levels, background subtraction, extracted ion chromatograms, supplementary NIST searches, and occasionally, manual mass spectra interpretation. 78 Although the NIST search helped identify other organic materials, it did not identify pyrolyzates well, especially at low levels because of the unique and sometimes ephemeral nature of polymer pyrolyzates.…”

Micro(nano)plastics in the Human Body: Sources, Occurrences, Fates, and Health Risks

“…The lack of efficient sampling and analytical methods has made the detection of NPs in atmospheric environments challenging. We recently detected polystyrene (PS) NPs in the air at concentrations of 23–149 ng·m –3 , indicating that NPs may enter the human body via inhalation; however, the amounts of NPs that may enter the human body via inhalation remains unclear . Recently, the majority of studies have primarily focused on analyzing atmospheric MNPs collected through passive sampling techniques, such as the collection of dust samples gathered from wet and dry deposition processes. , It is crucial to highlight that suspended MNPs pose a higher risk of inhalation through regular breathing.…”

Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation

“…However, limited by detection techniques and sampling difficulties, only very few research studies have examined the content, composition, and morphology of NPs in the atmosphere. − In order to obtain the effects of more realistic environmental NPs levels, we subsequently try to collect dust and vegetable samples and determine the amount and type of NPs to conduct further research. In addition, NPs will undergo processes such as weathering, decomposition, and corona formation, causing changes in the physicochemical properties of these NPs.…”