A comprehensive review of microplastics in India as emerging air pollutants with implications for current trends and future perspectives

Airborne microplastics (AMPs) are increasingly recognized as an emerging component of atmospheric particulate pollution. They are considered to have potential impacts on environmental redistribution, inhalation exposure and human health. However, despite India’s high plastic consumption, rapid urbanization, and severe particulate air pollution burden, atmospheric microplastics remain comparatively underexplored. This review combines a thematic literature review and a systematic bibliometric analysis of Indian airborne microplastic studies published between 2017 and 2025 to assess the existing evidence on major sources, atmospheric behaviour, meteorological influences, human exposure pathways, and emerging research trends. The findings suggest that the textile-derived fibres, traffic-related emissions, road dust resuspension, industrial activities, and indoor dust are the primary sources of airborne MPs, whereas wastewater systems, urban runoff, agricultural soils, and fragmented environmental plastic reservoirs contribute to long-term secondary redistribution. It has also been observed that their atmospheric transport and deposition are strongly influenced by meteorological factors. Available exposure estimates suggest that inhalation may account for an intake of approximately 325 to 863 microplastic particles per person per day within Indian metropolitan regions. Experimental and toxicological findings also suggest that MPs could trigger oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions and disruption of the epithelial lining. The bibliometric analysis further demonstrates a rapid growth in airborne microplastic research after 2020, with increasing emphasis on toxicity, human health, remediation, and atmospheric pathways. Although exposure quantification, atmospheric modelling, and epidemiological investigations remain underrepresented, major challenges also persist regarding standardized monitoring, contamination control, polymer identification, and size-resolved exposure assessment, highlighting the need to incorporate airborne microplastics into existing air-quality monitoring frameworks to support long-term surveillance, standardized exposure assessment, and future regulatory development.