Characteristics of exposure to microplastics via ingestion and inhalation among Chinese children

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the characteristics of exposure to micro- and nano-plastics （MPs） via food ingestion and inhalation among Chinese children including 6-7 years old school children in Pudong New Area of Shanghai.MethodsArticles published until March 2021 were searched on PubMed， Web of Science， Scopus， China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang and Weipu databases. The exposure levels of MPs by food ingestion and inhalation pathways were estimated by referring to the Chinese children food consumption and breathing rates data. The characteristics of children’s exposure to MPs in China were compared with that in the United States. In addition， the consumption of bottled water， tap water and salt intake among children aged 6-7 years was determined in a cohort of children and adolescents in Pudong New Area of Shanghai. The characteristics of exposure to MPs through food intake and inhalation among them were investigated.ResultsA total of 5 786 samples from 38 studies were retrieved. Annual intake of MPs among Chinese children was estimated to range from 159 400 to 204 637 MPs from food ingestion， depending on age and sex. When inhalation exposure is also considered， the annual MPs intake increased to 164 635 to 213 032 MPs， which were larger than the values in American persons. Ingestion of MPs posed the largest health risk to male Chinese adults. With the questionnaire survey data， the estimated annual total exposure amount through food intake alone is 116 272‒120 334 MPs for 6 to 7 years old school children in Pudong New Area. With addition of inhalation exposure， the annual total exposure amount is 121 300‒125 983 MPs， which is lower than the average exposure level in the whole country. The discrepancy could be mainly due to the different drinking habits between the local children and others. Overall， tap drinking water， seafood，bottled water， and air represented four substantial vectors of daily MPs exposure in Chinese children.ConclusionIngestion and inhalation of MPs pose higher health risk to Chinese children in comparison to American children. The level of exposure to MPs among 6 to 7 years old school children in Pudong New Area of Shanghai is lower than that in the same age group of children across the whole country. The attempt to lower the MPs levels in drinking water and seafood would represent the most effective means to help reduce the MPs exposure risk to Chinese children.

Keywords

• microplastic
• nanoplastic
• ingestion
• inhalation
• chinese children