Understanding UK airborne microplastic pollution: sources, pathways and fate

了解英国空气中的微塑料污染：来源、途径和归宿

• 批准号: NE/T00665X/1
• 负责人: Eiko Nemitz
• 金额: $ 2.58万
• 依托单位: UK CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT00665X%2F1
• 关键词: Understanding; UK; airborne; microplastic; pollution

Microscopic plastic debris, known as microplastics, are a complex class of particulate pollutants. They originate from degraded plastic litter and human activity, such as washing synthetic clothes or driving with synthetic tyres, and are ubiquitous across habitats worldwide. Microplastics comprise different plastic types and shapes, span several orders of magnitude in size, and harbour harmful chemicals and microbes. They have shown to cause biological harm in aquatic and terrestrial species in laboratory studies, leading the European Commission to recommend measures to minimise their release. Recent evidence demonstrating their presence in outdoor dust suggests that microplastics can be airborne, presenting air as a novel vehicle for dispersion and entry into the wider environment. This also raises concern for human exposure to microplastics via inhalation. Whether they occur in sizes small enough to enter the central and deep airways has not been measured but is imperative for future studies on the impacts of microplastics on population health. Considering their potential sources, higher levels are anticipated in urban environments, presenting both a greater population exposure and a source to pristine and sensitive habitats.This project aims to assess the extent and fate of airborne microplastic pollution in the UK. This will include examining microplastic sources, size-distribution, transport, and fate, which will be achieved through the following objectives: development of a standardised work flow and analytical methods for microplastics in different types of air samples (O1); measurement of atmospheric deposition loadings for microplastics in different environments (O2); understanding the seasonal variation of microplastic deposition (O3); quantification of size distributions for airborne microplastics in urban and rural environments (O4); identification of the sources (point, linear, area) of airborne microplastics (O5); an indication of whether microplastics are vertically mixed >150 m (O6); and an evaluation of the environmental fate of microplastics in a multi-media study (O7).Microplastic pollution is growing exponentially as a field, yet the atmosphere remains understudied. This is the first large UK project to address airborne microplastics and the first to measure microplastics in health-relevant size fractions, addressing two key knowledge gaps. Evidence of the various sources and levels of airborne microplastics will provide a baseline to assess the efficacy of efforts to minimise release and indicate whether it is necessary to incorporate into future air quality monitoring programmes and deposition networks. The associated health effects of particulate matter (PM) are well-established and primarily associated with road transport and fuel burning emissions. As global pressure to reduce such emissions increases, PM composition is likely to shift. In combination with a predicted increase in plastic use, especially in the textile sector (4%/year), the proportional concentration of airborne microplastics will become increasingly important. It is therefore timely to establish baseline knowledge of airborne microplastic burdens.

微小的塑料碎片，称为微塑料，是一类复杂的颗粒污染物。它们源自降解的塑料垃圾和人类活动，例如洗涤合成纤维衣服或使用合成轮胎驾驶，并且在世界各地的栖息地中无处不在。微塑料由不同的塑料类型和形状组成，尺寸跨越几个数量级，并含有有害化学物质和微生物。实验室研究表明它们会对水生和陆地物种造成生物危害，因此欧盟委员会建议采取措施尽量减少其释放。最近的证据表明，微塑料存在于室外灰尘中，表明微塑料可以通过空气传播，使空气成为一种新的扩散和进入更广泛环境的载体。这也引起了人们对人类通过吸入接触微塑料的担忧。它们的尺寸是否足够小以进入中央气道和深部气道尚未得到测量，但这对于未来研究微塑料对人口健康的影响至关重要。考虑到它们的潜在来源，预计城市环境中的微塑料污染水平会更高，这不仅会带来更大的人口暴露，而且会成为原始和敏感栖息地的来源。该项目旨在评估英国空气中微塑料污染的程度和命运。这将包括检查微塑料来源、尺寸分布、运输和归宿，这将通过以下目标来实现：开发不同类型空气样本中微塑料的标准化工作流程和分析方法（O1）；测量不同环境中微塑料的大气沉降负荷（O2）；了解微塑料沉积（O3）的季节变化；量化城市和农村环境中空气中微塑料的尺寸分布（O4）；识别空气中微塑料的来源（点、线、面）（O5）；指示微塑料是否垂直混合 >150 m (O6)；以及在多媒体研究中对微塑料的环境命运的评估（O7）。微塑料污染作为一个领域呈指数级增长，但对大气的研究仍然不足。这是英国第一个针对空气中微塑料问题的大型项目，也是第一个以与健康相关的尺寸分数测量微塑料的项目，解决了两个关键的知识差距。空气中微塑料的各种来源和水平的证据将为评估尽量减少释放的努力的有效性提供基线，并表明是否有必要将其纳入未来的空气质量监测计划和沉积网络。颗粒物 (PM) 对健康的相关影响已得到证实，主要与道路运输和燃料燃烧排放有关。随着全球减少此类排放的压力增加，PM 成分可能会发生变化。结合预计塑料使用量的增加，特别是在纺织行业（每年 4%），空气中微塑料的比例浓度将变得越来越重要。因此，现在应该建立关于空气中微塑料负担的基线知识。