TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wright, Stephanie L.
A1  - Ulke, Jannis
A1  - Font, Anna
A1  - Chan, Ka Lung Andrew
A1  - Kelly, Frank J.
T1  - Atmospheric microplastic deposition in an urban environment and an evaluation of transport
JF  - Environment international
N2  - Microplastics are a global environmental issue contaminating aquatic and terrestrial environments. They have been reported in atmospheric deposition, and indoor and outdoor air, raising concern for public health due to the potential for exposure. Moreover, the atmosphere presents a new vehicle for microplastics to enter the wider environment, yet our knowledge of the quantities, characteristics and pathways of airborne microplastics is sparse. Here we show microplastics in atmospheric deposition in a major population centre, central London. Microplastics were found in all samples, with deposition rates ranging from 575 to 1008 microplastics/m(2)/d. They were found in various shapes, of which fibrous microplastics accounted for the great majority (92%). Across all samples, 15 different petrochemical-based polymers were identified. Bivariate polar plots indicated dependency on wind, with different source areas for fibrous and non-fibrous airborne microplastics. This is the first evidence of airborne microplastics in London and confirms the need to include airborne pathways when consolidating microplastic impacts on the wider environment and human health.
KW  - microplastics
KW  - atmospheric deposition
KW  - air pollution
KW  - urban
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105411
SN  - 0160-4120
SN  - 1873-6750
VL  - 136
PB  - Elsevier, Pergamon Press
CY  - New York, NY [u.a.]
ER  -