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Oxidation of Weathered Plastics in Sandy and Aquatic Conditions
Summary
Scientists studied real beach plastic to see how sunlight, sand, and water cause it to break down into microplastics and nanoplastics—tiny particles linked to health risks like cancer, inflammation, and reproductive harm. They found that plastic sitting in sand under UV light broke down faster than plastic floating in water alone, suggesting beaches may be a bigger source of harmful plastic particles than previously thought. This matters because it helps pinpoint where microplastics are most likely forming in the environment, which could guide future efforts to reduce human exposure.
Microplastics are particles of plastic ranging from 1µm to 5mm and nanoplastics are particles smaller than 1 µm. Both micro and nanoplastics have been linked to negative health effects such as cancer, general inflammation and reproductive harm. It is essential for research to be done on the formation of microplastics due to fragmentation, as they permeate into everything including humans and animals. Exposure of plastics to sunlight, water, and other environmental factors causes plastics to weather over time making them become brittle and prone to fragmentation due to oxidation, thus creating even smaller harmful micro and nanoplastics. This research is focused on understanding the different environmental conditions affecting the weathering of real world plastics most commonly exposed to when beached. The plastics used in this experiment were collected from Marquette Park Beach in Miller, Indiana. The vast majority of the plastics were identified as polypropylene and polyethylene, which are light-weight plastics that can float in water and are carried by wind. The plastics were placed in either sand or water and exposed to a medium pressure UV lamp to simulate exposure to sunlight in natural environments. Infrared spectroscopy was used to identify each plastic piece and to determine the extent of oxidation of the plastic before and after each treatment. Research so far has revealed that plastics exposed to the sand and light experience oxidation, whereas plastic only in water did not show the same oxidation. Further research must be done to provide accuracy and reproducibility.