A novel application of thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry for polystyrene quantification in the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions of airborne microplastics

Microplastics have appeared as emerging pollutants due to the diverse applications of plastics in today's world. Growing evidence points to the negative impacts that airborne microplastics have on human health, as they can enter the human body through respiration. Our aim was to quantify polystyrene airborne microplastics in smaller fractions, thoracic (PM10) and alveolar (PM2.5), as they have scarcely been studied. In this work, we proposed a methodology based on thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry that requires minimal sample preparation and does not limit particle size. We applied this methodology to quantify the airborne polystyrene in PM10 and PM2.5 fractions in mass units of microplastics per m3 of air in an urban and agricultural region during the summer of 2021. The mean concentrations of polystyrene found in the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions were 2.09 and 1.81 ng m−3, respectively. Therefore, the majority of airborne polystyrene microplastics are found in the alveolar fraction which, is associated with severe cardiopulmonary and respiratory diseases. According to air mass backward trajectories, it was noted that the main sources of these emerging pollutants could be related to local agricultural practices. [Display omitted] •PM2.5, PM10 in ng m−3 airborne polystyrene microplastics were analyzed using TGA-MS.•Proposed TGA-MS reference method for microplastic PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations.•TGA-MS as low-cost, minimal sample preparation, particle size independent method•Most of the PS-MPs detected behave as the smallest fraction, PM2.5.•PS-MPs possibly originate from local intensive farming practices.