Plastic Levels In Indoor Auckland Air Much Higher Than At Outdoor Site
Scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland are investigating just how much plastic New Zealanders are inhaling, especially indoors where most people spend most of their time.
Dr Joel Rindelaub and Dr Gordon Miskelly, of the School of Chemistry, tested the air in two chemistry labs for microplastics small enough to be inhaled, particles similar in size to fine silt or sand or pollen.
The average concentration of plastic was 830 nanograms per cubic metre of air, more than ten times higher than a reading at an outdoor site elsewhere.
A nanogram is one billionth of a gram.
'Most of us spend most of our time indoors, that's how we live,' says Rindelaub. 'And since indoor levels of microplastics are generally higher than outdoors, we need to know much, much more about our exposures and the potential health risks.'
Importantly, chemical additives, which may pose greater health risks than the plastics themselves, were also detected. Phthalates, endocrine disrupting chemicals used to make plastics flexible, were present at an average level of 334 nanograms per cubic metre.
Globally, scientists have yet to standardise methods for measuring microplastics, with many past studies undercounting by failing to pick up the very smallest particles, which are also the most numerous.
In addition to detection in the human liver, blood, faeces, and placenta, microplastics can lodge in the lungs and US scientists have analysed brains containing the equivalent of five plastic bottle caps.
Rindelaub hopes the fast and simple chemical technique trialled in his research using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry becomes more common internationally.
Seven types of plastic were detected in the laboratory air, likely coming from sources such as building materials, lab equipment and packaging, according to the study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
The highest concentrations were of polycarbonate, polyvinylchloride, and polyethylene.
A separate study by Rindelaub and his colleagues, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, tested coastal air at a site about 50 km west of Invercargill. Here, the average concentration of inhalable microplastics was 65 nanograms per cubic metre of air – comparable to an average of hugely variable urban readings around the world.
Based on wind direction, the Southern Ocean seemed to be the key source of the plastic, acting as a reservoir of particles, likely propelled into the air via breaking waves.
Rindelaub and his colleagues found about 4,625 microplastics per square metre of surface area per day in the Southland study, similar to about 4,885 in a previous study in Auckland.
The Auckland amount was the equivalent of 3 million plastic bottles falling from the sky a year.
'Detecting similar amounts in a remote area and a big city indicates there is a lot of plastic coming to us from the ocean,' Rindelaub says.
What can you do?
Avoid using plastic when possible; don't eat food from heated plastic containers since they leach chemical additives; ventilate your home and if possible, get a home air purifier, says Rindelaub.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Scoop
Otago Central Lakes Strategic Health Report Available To Public
Press Release – Southern Lakes Health Trust The Strategic Report identifies opportunities to increase public health services in Otago Central Lakes by partnering with the private sector to invest in services and infrastructure to benefit our region. The Otago Central Lakes [1] Health Services & Assets project has publicly released the Strategic Report sent to Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown in February 2025. The work supporting the Strategic Report is a collaborative effort, led by Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland and involving Health New Zealand, Central Otago District Council. Queenstown Lakes District Council, rural health providers, iwi, including kaupapa Māori health providers, local MPs, and the community. 'We have a clear objective; to expedite planning and investment in health services and infrastructure in Otago Central Lakes,' Mr Mooney says. The Strategic Report identifies opportunities to increase public health services in Otago Central Lakes by partnering with the private sector to invest in services and infrastructure to benefit our region. 'As we have outlined to the Minister, this project is not asking for public funds but is seeking support to effectively progress the opportunities and initiatives we have put forward,' says Miles Anderson, MP for Waitaki and member of the project's Steering Committee. Mayors of Queenstown Lakes District Council and Central Otago District Council also sit on the Steering Committee. 'The Strategic Report aligns with the component of the Regional Deal proposal that QLDC and CODC are partners to, towards developing innovative approaches to the area's health system. We look forward to feedback and direction from the Minister of Health, Simeon Brown on the Strategic Report and how this will help inform work on a health needs assessment for the area,' says QLDC Mayor Glyn Lewers. '70 per cent of New Zealanders who live two or more hours from a hospital live in Otago Central Lakes. Our proposal will bring healthcare closer to our residents and help to reduce demand on our regions' base hospitals in Dunedin and Invercargill,' says CODC Mayor Tamah Alley. 'Our approach will lead to far more streamlined and effective healthcare for this rapidly growing population. We have presented a strong plan to improve things for our people,' says Steering Committee member and ACT MP Todd Stephenson. [1] 'Otago Central Lakes' = areas currently encompassed by Central Otago District Council and Queenstown Lakes District Council, including Queenstown, Arrowtown, Kingston, Glenorchy, Wanaka, Luggate, Lake Hawea, Cardrona, Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh, Ranfurly.
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Is Ageism The Last Socially Acceptable Prejudice?
Press Release – University of Auckland A study in the United States revealed people with positive attitudes to ageing live on average 7.5 years longer than people with a negative attitude. 'We all need to battle internalised ageism,' says Nusch Herman, from the University of Auckland's Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research. A study in the United States revealed people with positive attitudes to ageing live on average 7.5 years longer than people with a negative attitude. 'The research also found that people with a positive attitude to ageing recover more quickly from illness,' says Herman. Examining our attitudes to ageing and weeding out ageist assumptions improves the culture surrounding older people, supporting their wellbeing and eventually our own, she says. 'The American writer and activist, Ashton Applewhite, says 'ageism is prejudice against our future selves'. 'We all age, so it's worth challenging our negative assumptions about that process,' Herman says. She is organising a panel discussion on ageism at the Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research at the University's Newmarket Campus on 25 June. Centre co-director Dr Joanna Hikaka will chair the panel, featuring psychiatrist and author Dr Chris Perkins, AUT Associate Professor and co-director of the Centre for Ageing Well Rich Wright, Kylie Te Arihi and Trent Brown from the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, and age-friendly advocate Dr Judy Blakey. Ageism involves having negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours towards people based on their age, says Herman. 'It can affect people at any age – it's not just older people. 'It's when people are categorised and divided, based on their age, in ways that cause disadvantage and injustice.' Young people can face similar discrimination to older people, such as being devalued on the basis of their age and potentially finding it more difficult to participate in paid work, she says. Ageist stereotypes of older people are common in advertising and the media, where they are often portrayed as senile, incompetent, nosy, sad and lonely, or complaining and ill-tempered Searching synonyms for ageing quickly uncovers negative associations with being senile, long in the tooth, past it, decrepit, over the hill, and doddery, says Herman. 'Ageism depicts older people as a problem for society, and it's often seen as the last 'socially acceptable' form of discrimination. 'It's important to counter ageist stereotypes, because they're not based in reality.' On average, life expectancy has almost doubled over the past 100 years, which is one of humankind's greatest achievements and should be celebrated instead of feared, she says. 'We need to be really cautious about seeing ageing as failing. 'If you're physically showing signs of ageing, that's natural, yet corporations are making a lot of money from pills, potions and plastic surgery.' Let's Talk About Ageism is a free panel discussion on 25 June from 10am to 12pm at the Ray Meyer Building, 314-390 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket, Auckland. All welcome – register here.
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Is Ageism The Last Socially Acceptable Prejudice?
Press Release – University of Auckland 'We all need to battle internalised ageism,' says Nusch Herman, from the University of Auckland's Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research. A study in the United States revealed people with positive attitudes to ageing live on average 7.5 years longer than people with a negative attitude. 'The research also found that people with a positive attitude to ageing recover more quickly from illness,' says Herman. Examining our attitudes to ageing and weeding out ageist assumptions improves the culture surrounding older people, supporting their wellbeing and eventually our own, she says. 'The American writer and activist, Ashton Applewhite, says 'ageism is prejudice against our future selves'. 'We all age, so it's worth challenging our negative assumptions about that process,' Herman says. She is organising a panel discussion on ageism at the Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research at the University's Newmarket Campus on 25 June. Centre co-director Dr Joanna Hikaka will chair the panel, featuring psychiatrist and author Dr Chris Perkins, AUT Associate Professor and co-director of the Centre for Ageing Well Rich Wright, Kylie Te Arihi and Trent Brown from the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, and age-friendly advocate Dr Judy Blakey. Ageism involves having negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours towards people based on their age, says Herman. 'It can affect people at any age – it's not just older people. 'It's when people are categorised and divided, based on their age, in ways that cause disadvantage and injustice.' Young people can face similar discrimination to older people, such as being devalued on the basis of their age and potentially finding it more difficult to participate in paid work, she says. Ageist stereotypes of older people are common in advertising and the media, where they are often portrayed as senile, incompetent, nosy, sad and lonely, or complaining and ill-tempered Searching synonyms for ageing quickly uncovers negative associations with being senile, long in the tooth, past it, decrepit, over the hill, and doddery, says Herman. 'Ageism depicts older people as a problem for society, and it's often seen as the last 'socially acceptable' form of discrimination. 'It's important to counter ageist stereotypes, because they're not based in reality.' On average, life expectancy has almost doubled over the past 100 years, which is one of humankind's greatest achievements and should be celebrated instead of feared, she says. 'We need to be really cautious about seeing ageing as failing. 'If you're physically showing signs of ageing, that's natural, yet corporations are making a lot of money from pills, potions and plastic surgery.' Let's Talk About Ageism is a free panel discussion on 25 June from 10am to 12pm at the Ray Meyer Building, 314-390 Khyber Pass Road, Newmarket, Auckland.
