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Codes and data for manuscript 'Uncontrolled waste burning dominates global inhalable microplastic emissions'

Mendeley Data 2026
Yanting Wang

Summary

Scientists used a computer model to track tiny plastic particles floating in our air, and found that burning trash in open fires — common in many parts of the world — is the biggest source of these airborne microplastics, more than other sources like tire wear or ocean spray. This matters because these particles are small enough to breathe deep into your lungs, and knowing where they come from is the first step to reducing your exposure and pushing for better waste management policies.

We used the GEOS-Chem Classic (version 14.6) modeling system to simulate the atmospheric concentrations and depositions of microplastics. The model is managed by the GEOS-Chem Support Team, based at Harvard University and Washington University. "Input.tar.gz" contains the run scripts of the GEOS-Chem model for this study and the sample datasets used to test the model (simulation for January 1, 2020).

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