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Plastics in the environment in the context of UV radiation, climate change and the Montreal Protocol: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2023
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences2024
48 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 60
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura E. Revell,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Richard G. Zepp,
Paul W. Barnes,
Laura E. Revell,
Paul W. Barnes,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Rachele Ossola,
Rachele Ossola,
Rachele Ossola,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Mark L. Hanson,
Patrick J. Neale,
S. Madronich,
Paul W. Barnes,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
G. Bernhard,
Patrick J. Neale,
Anu Heikkilä,
Krishna K. Pandey,
T. Matthew Robson,
Liping Zhu,
Paul W. Barnes,
Paul W. Barnes,
Qingwei Wang,
Laura E. Revell,
Rosa Busquets,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Laura E. Revell,
Robyn Lucas,
Patrick J. Neale,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Patrick J. Neale,
Mark L. Hanson,
Anu Heikkilä,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Mark L. Hanson,
Janet F. Bornman,
Laura E. Revell,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Liping Zhu,
Janet F. Bornman,
Keith R. Solomon,
Paul W. Barnes,
Samuel Hylander,
Janet F. Bornman,
Rosa Busquets,
T. Matthew Robson,
Anu Heikkilä,
Rosa Busquets,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Rosa Busquets,
Richard G. Zepp,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Kevin C. Rose,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
S. Madronich,
Patrick J. Neale,
Rosa Busquets,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura E. Revell,
P. J. Aucamp,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Kevin C. Rose,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Qingwei Wang,
Mads P. Sulbæk Andersen,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Richard G. Zepp,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Qingwei Wang,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Richard G. Zepp,
Rosa Busquets,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Laura E. Revell,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Christopher C. White,
Samuel Hylander,
Samuel Hylander,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Laura E. Revell,
S. Madronich,
S. Madronich,
Rosa Busquets,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Mark L. Hanson,
Laura E. Revell,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura E. Revell,
Rosa Busquets,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
S. Madronich,
Anu Heikkilä,
Janet F. Bornman,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Rachele Ossola,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Christopher C. White,
Christopher C. White,
Richard G. Zepp,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Laura E. Revell,
Laura E. Revell,
Rosa Busquets,
Rosa Busquets,
Janet F. Bornman,
Laura E. Revell,
Liping Zhu,
Richard G. Zepp,
P. J. Aucamp,
Richard G. Zepp,
Paul W. Barnes,
Kevin C. Rose,
P. J. Aucamp,
Rosa Busquets,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
S. Madronich,
G. Bernhard,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Anu Heikkilä,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Richard G. Zepp,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Rosa Busquets,
G. Bernhard,
G. Bernhard,
Anu Heikkilä,
Donat‐P. Häder,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Janet F. Bornman,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Anthony L. Andrady,
Donat‐P. Häder,
G. Bernhard,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Alkiviadis Bais,
Mark L. Hanson,
Patrick J. Neale,
P. J. Aucamp,
Anu Heikkilä,
Mark L. Hanson,
Rosa Busquets,
Janet F. Bornman,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Anu Heikkilä,
G. Bernhard,
Samuel Hylander,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Samuel Hylander,
Janet F. Bornman,
Robyn Lucas,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Mark L. Hanson,
Robyn Lucas,
Keith R. Solomon,
Roy Mackenzie,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Samuel Hylander,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Roy Mackenzie,
S. Madronich,
Qingwei Wang,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
S. Madronich,
Patrick J. Neale,
Patrick J. Neale,
Anastazia T. Banaszak,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Catherine M. Olsen,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Robyn Lucas,
Samuel Hylander,
Rachele Ossola,
Samuel Hylander,
Catherine M. Olsen,
Rachele Ossola,
Samuel Hylander,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Catherine M. Olsen,
Kevin C. Rose,
Kevin C. Rose,
Marcel A. K. Jansen,
Irina Petropavlovskikh,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
Rachele Ossola,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Laura E. Revell,
Irina Petropavlovskikh,
Krishna K. Pandey,
P. J. Aucamp,
Irina Petropavlovskikh,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Sharon A. Robinson,
T. Matthew Robson,
T. Matthew Robson,
Laura E. Revell,
Rachele Ossola,
Kevin C. Rose,
Laura E. Revell,
Kevin C. Rose,
Robyn Lucas,
Sharon A. Robinson,
Keith R. Solomon,
Keith R. Solomon,
Mads P. Sulbæk Andersen,
Mads P. Sulbæk Andersen,
T. Matthew Robson,
Mads P. Sulbæk Andersen,
Anu Heikkilä,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Catherine M. Olsen,
Kevin C. Rose,
Timothy J. Wallington,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Timothy J. Wallington,
Qingwei Wang,
Keith R. Solomon,
Qingwei Wang,
Krishna K. Pandey,
Keith R. Solomon,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
Sharon A. Robinson,
T. Matthew Robson,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Christopher C. White,
Kevin C. Rose,
Timothy J. Wallington,
Laura S. Bruckman,
Christopher C. White,
Antony R. Young
Krishna K. Pandey,
Antony R. Young
Richard G. Zepp,
Christopher C. White,
Keith R. Solomon,
Richard G. Zepp,
Christopher C. White,
Liping Zhu,
Liping Zhu,
Barbara Sulzberger,
Liping Zhu,
Antony R. Young
Richard G. Zepp,
Qingwei Wang,
P. J. Aucamp,
Liping Zhu,
Rachel Ε. Neale,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
Robyn Lucas,
Sten‐Åke Wängberg,
Christopher C. White,
Antony R. Young
Liping Zhu,
Robyn Lucas,
Catherine M. Olsen,
Antony R. Young
Summary
Researchers from the UN Environment Programme reviewed how sunlight and climate change accelerate the breakdown of plastic debris into micro- and nanoplastics, which have now been detected in every ecosystem on Earth — including inside the human body. They conclude that new plastics should be designed to break down harmlessly at the end of their useful life, rather than persisting indefinitely as pollution.
This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers the interactive effects of solar UV radiation, global warming, and other weathering factors on plastics. The Assessment illustrates the significance of solar UV radiation in decreasing the durability of plastic materials, degradation of plastic debris, formation of micro- and nanoplastic particles and accompanying leaching of potential toxic compounds. Micro- and nanoplastics have been found in all ecosystems, the atmosphere, and in humans. While the potential biological risks are not yet well-established, the widespread and increasing occurrence of plastic pollution is reason for continuing research and monitoring. Plastic debris persists after its intended life in soils, water bodies and the atmosphere as well as in living organisms. To counteract accumulation of plastics in the environment, the lifetime of novel plastics or plastic alternatives should better match the functional life of products, with eventual breakdown releasing harmless substances to the environment.