title: A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments.
abstract: Studies about microplastics in various environments highlighted the ubiquity of anthropogenic fibers. As a follow-up of a recent study that emphasized the presence of man-made fibers in atmospheric fallout, this study is the first one to investigate fibers in indoor and outdoor air. Three different indoor sites were considered: two private apartments and one office. In parallel, the outdoor air was sampled in one site. The deposition rate of the fibers and their concentration in settled dust collected from vacuum cleaner bags were also estimated. Overall, indoor concentrations ranged between 1.0 and 60.0 fibers/m3. Outdoor concentrations are significantly lower as they range between 0.3 and 1.5 fibers/m3. The deposition rate of the fibers in indoor environments is between 1586 and 11,130 fibers/day/m2leading to an accumulation of fibers in settled dust (190-670 fibers/mg). Regarding fiber type, 67% of the analyzed fibers in indoor environments are made of natural material, primarily cellulosic, while the remaining 33% fibers contain petrochemicals with polypropylene being predominant. Such fibers are observed in marine and continental studies dealing with microplastics. The observed fibers are supposedly too large to be inhaled but the exposure may occur through dust ingestion, particularly for young children.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, LEESU (laboratoire eau environnement et systèmes urbains), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France. Electronic address: drisr@leesu.enpc.fr.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dris
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, LEESU (laboratoire eau environnement et systèmes urbains), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France. Electronic address: gasperi@u-pec.fr.
authors.forename: Johnny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gasperi
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, LEESU (laboratoire eau environnement et systèmes urbains), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mirande
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), 77447 Marne-La-Vallée, France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mandin
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris Est, CNRS-UPEC-UMR7182, 2-8, rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerrouache
authors.affiliation: Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris Est, CNRS-UPEC-UMR7182, 2-8, rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, LEESU (laboratoire eau environnement et systèmes urbains), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tassin
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D013784:Textiles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004391:Dust; D010969:Plastics
keywords: Dust; Indoor air; Microplastics; Outdoor air; Synthetic fibers