To what extent are we really free from airborne microplastics?

Zhangyu Song; Kai Liu; Xiaohui Wang; Nian Wei; Changxing Zong; Changjun Li; Chunhua Jiang; Yinan He; Daoji Li

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142118

To what extent are we really free from airborne microplastics?

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb 1:754:142118. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142118. Epub 2020 Sep 1.

Authors

Zhangyu Song¹, Kai Liu², Xiaohui Wang³, Nian Wei³, Changxing Zong³, Changjun Li³, Chunhua Jiang³, Yinan He³, Daoji Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China; Plastic Marine Debris Research Center, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; Regional Training and Research Center on Plastic Marine Debris and Microplastics, IOC-UNESCO, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China; Plastic Marine Debris Research Center, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; Regional Training and Research Center on Plastic Marine Debris and Microplastics, IOC-UNESCO, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China. Electronic address: kailiu1991@hotmail.com.
³ State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China; Regional Training and Research Center on Plastic Marine Debris and Microplastics, IOC-UNESCO, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China; Plastic Marine Debris Research Center, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; Regional Training and Research Center on Plastic Marine Debris and Microplastics, IOC-UNESCO, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China. Electronic address: daojili@sklec.ecnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32911154
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142118

Abstract

Quality assurance and quality control (QA&QC) procedures are vital for ensuring data reliability, but little is known about the use of such procedures in reducing airborne microplastic (MP) contamination. To address this issue, we tried to determine the efficiency of two common methods (washing and ashing experimental glassware) for removing airborne MPs and identified airborne contamination during MP analytical procedure. The results showed the removal efficiencies of washing and ashing were an average of 88%-98% and 100%, respectively, indicating that both methods could eliminate most of the spiked airborne MPs with no significant difference noted between the two methods. Although rigorous measures were taken to prevent contamination from ambient air, trace amounts of airborne MPs were still detected, which is an issue that has not been adequately investigated in previous studies. All of the procedural contaminants detected in this study were fibrous. Approximately 88% of these fibers were cotton-like (cotton, cellulose, and cellophane) fibers, and 13% of them were plastic. Surprisingly, cotton-like fibers and MPs had a similar size distribution, suggesting that they may have undergone a similar weathering process. In the end, to cope with inevitable airborne contamination, several measures were proposed for further research. Such measures will provide the necessary methodological assistance for accurate quantification of MP pollution in the field.

Keywords: Airborne microplastics; Contamination; Methodology; Quality assurance; Quality control; Removal.