Microplastic particles are hiding in your home and pose a real danger to your health

The home is often a place where we feel safe. However, there is a danger that we face every day and breathe in more than 71,000 times a day: microplastic particles.

To explain the extent of this phenomenon, a team of researchers based in Toulouse, France, decided to realize a study with the help of several tools. They used Raman spectroscopy, advanced microbiology and various automatic counting systems. And the main advantage of these combined tools resides in their ability to detect particles measuring one micrometer, whereas previous studies were unable to detect particles smaller than 20 micrometers. 

According to Nadiia Yakovenko, a researcher at the University of Toulouse, we breathe in an average of 71,200 microplastic particles per day, of which 3,200 measure between 10 and 300 micrometers and 68,000 are between 1 and 10 micrometers. However, if these results are astonishing and surprising, there are several reasons that allow to explain them.

Indeed, the furniture in your home is constantly releasing particles due to daily friction. And if you have carpet, it causes microscopic synthetic fibers to appear in your indoor air. Note that even in your car, you're not immune to these particles. And this, because the heat causes a continuous degradation of the dashboard and coatings like those of your car seats. In other words, each daily gesture releases a significant amount of particles invisible to the naked eye, some of which are composed of chemicals.

As a result, this can have significant health consequences, such as chronic respiratory disorders, endocrine disruption and increased risk of developing cancer. Thus, it is therefore necessary to update the current air quality standards. Then, measures concerning the materials used to manufacture the furniture around us or air filtration systems could be implemented to protect everyone’s health, whether at home or in your vehicle on the way to work.