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Atmospheric Microplastic Pollution and Risk Assessment in the “Wuchangshi” Region of Xinjiang, China, Using Pine Needles as Passive Sampler
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Using pine needles as passive atmospheric samplers, researchers documented microplastic deposition across five cities in Xinjiang, China, finding polyethylene fibers dominant and the highest concentrations in Urumqi during winter, with overall ecological risk rated high. The study validates pine needles as a practical, low-cost monitoring tool for atmospheric microplastic pollution and provides baseline data for a region where industrial and transportation emissions are key sources.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging contaminants that have garnered widespread global attention owing to their pervasive pollution across various environmental matrices. In this study, pine needles were employed as passive samplers for atmospheric microplastics (AMPs) to systematically investigate the occurrence status of AMPs in five typical counties/cities (Urumqi, Changji, Shihezi, Hutubi and Manasi) within the "Wuchangshi" region of Xinjiang, China. The results indicated that the annual average abundance of AMPs in the study region was 9.63 ± 4.59 n/g. In terms of spatial distribution, Urumqi exhibited the highest AMPs abundance (11.62 ± 7.15 n/g), while the abundance in winter was significantly higher than that in other seasons (16.81 ± 3.87 n/g). Fibrous AMPs accounted for the highest proportion (48.6%), with colorless being the dominant color. Polyethylene (PE) was the predominant polymer type, accounting for 19.7% of the total AMPs. Potential sources of pollution mainly including transportation, commercial activities, and industrial operations. The ecological risk exhibited regional variations, and the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) indicated an overall high-risk status. This study aims to provide a new reference for the application of pine needles as passive samplers and a scientific basis for the formulation of national environmental quality standards for MPs.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.