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Isolation, Quantification, and Characterization of Microplastics in Atmospheric Fallout Across Different Areas of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
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Researchers found tiny plastic particles—fibers, fragments, and granules—literally falling from the air in Lahore, Pakistan, a densely populated city with lots of industry. This means people living there may be breathing in or being exposed to microplastics regularly, though scientists still need to study exactly how this affects our health. The findings highlight the need for cities to find ways to cut down on plastic pollution before it spreads further into the air we all share.
Microplastics have become widely dispersed in our environment, and even in the air we breathe. The present research aims at identifying and determining the amounts of microplastics present in atmospheric fallout over Lahore city, which is characterized by a large population and several manufacturing industries. In order to find out the existence of microplastics, samples of atmospheric fallout were collected from various sites across hustling municipalities of Lahore that included urbanized settlements. The analysis disclosed that there are various forms of microplastic fibers, fragments and granules indicating different sources of pollution. The identified ones varied from 114.485 µm to 2034.731 µm indicating mixture of primary and secondary atmospheric microplastics level presence in Lahore region which need more intensive studies due to their health impacts as well as their pathways and sources in urban areas. This study provides very important baseline information on understanding microplastic pollution in Lahore city while stressing on development strategies for minimizing their further movement into the outer space.
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