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Wilhelm K, Woor S, Jackson M, Albini D, Young N, Karamched P, Policarpo Wright MC, Grau-Bove J, Orr SA, Longman J, de Kock T. Microplastic pollution on historic facades: Hidden 'sink' or urban threat? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 343:123128. [PMID: 38097158 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite the increasing concerns surrounding the health and environmental risks of microplastics (MPs), the research focus has primarily been on their prevalence in air and the oceans, consequently neglecting their presence on urban facades, which are integral to our everyday environments. Therefore, there is a crucial knowledge gap in comprehending urban MP pollution. Our pioneering interdisciplinary study not only quantifies but also identifies MPs on historic facades, revealing their pervasive presence in a medium-sized urban area in the UK. In this case study, we estimated a mean density of 975,000 fibres/m^2 (0.10 fibres/mm^2) for fibre lengths between 30 and 1000 μm with a ratio of 1:5 for natural to artificial fibres. Our research identifies three groups of fibre length frequencies across varied exposure scenarios on the investigated urban facade. Sheltered areas (4m height) show a high prevalence of 60-120 μm and 180-240 μm fibres. In contrast, less sheltered areas at 3m exhibit lower fibre frequencies but similar lengths. Notably, the lowest area (2-1.5m) features longer fibres (300-1000 μm), while adjacent area S, near a faulty gutter, shows no fibres, highlighting the impact of exposure, altitude, and environmental variables on fibre distribution on urban facades. Our findings pave one of many necessary paths forward to determine the long-term fate of these fibres and provoke a pertinent question: do historic facades serve as an urban 'sink' that mitigates potentially adverse health impacts or amplifies the effects of mobile microplastics? Addressing MP pollution in urban areas is crucial for public health and sustainable cities. More research is required to understand the multi-scale factors behind MP pollution in large cities and to find mitigation strategies, paving the way for effective interventions and policies against this growing threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Wilhelm
- Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Laboratory (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
| | - Sam Woor
- Department of Geoscience, University of the Fraser Valley, 33844 Kings Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia, V2S 7M8, Canada; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Michelle Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, England, UK.
| | - Dania Albini
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, England, UK.
| | - Neil Young
- David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
| | - Phani Karamched
- David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
| | | | - Josep Grau-Bove
- UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Pl, WC1H 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Scott Allan Orr
- UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Pl, WC1H 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Jack Longman
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Tim de Kock
- Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES), Faculty of Design, University of Antwerp, Mutsaardstraat 31, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
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