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Micro/Nanoplastic Formation by Polymer Processing
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Scientists found that melting and reshaping plastic during manufacturing or recycling, a process assumed to be safe, can actually create tiny plastic particles called micro/nanoplastics, even without exposure to sunlight or physical wear. This matters because it suggests plastic products may be shedding these particles from the moment they're made, adding another hidden source of plastic pollution that could end up in our food, water, and bodies.
Micro and nanoplastics (MNPL) are widely recognized to form when solid-state polymers are exposed to external cues (e.g., stress, UV, oxygen). While melt extrusion, a routine step in polymer manufacturing and recycling, is generally not considered a source of MNPL, we combine experiments, mole...
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