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Quantification and characterization of airborne microplastics in the coastal area of Terengganu, Malaysia
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment2024
14 citations
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Score: 60
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Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Naresh Kumar Chenappan,
Naresh Kumar Chenappan,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Noorlin Mohamad,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Fatimah Ahamad,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Wan Zuriana Wan Sulaiman,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Wan Zuriana Wan Sulaiman,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Noorlin Mohamad,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Maisarah Jaafar,
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Noorlin Mohamad,
Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Sabiqah Tuan Anuar,
Yusof Shuaib Ibrahim
Summary
Researchers measured airborne microplastics in a coastal city in Malaysia and found an average of about 5,476 particles per square meter per day, with fibers making up over 99% of what was collected. Heavy metals like aluminum and cadmium were found attached to the surface of these airborne particles. The study shows that people in coastal areas are breathing in microplastics that may also carry toxic metals, raising concerns about the combined health effects of inhaling contaminated plastic particles.
Microplastics (MPs) pose a threat to ecosystems due to their capacity to bind with toxic chemicals. While the occurrence of MPs in aquatic environmental matrices like water, sediments, and biota is well studied, their presence in the atmosphere remains less understood. This study aimed to determine the presence of airborne MPs and their characteristics through ground-based sampling in the coastal city of Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia. Airborne MP samples were collected using passive sampling technique in December 2019. MPs were manually counted and identified using a stereomicroscope based on their colour and shape. The average deposition rate of airborne MPs during the sampling period was 5476 ± 3796 particles/m/day, ranging from 576 to 15,562 particles/m/day. Various colours such as transparent (38%), blue (25%), black (20%), red (13%), and others (4%) were observed. The predominant shape of airborne MPs was fibres (> 99%). The morphology structure of MPs observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed a cracked surface on MPs, suggesting weathering and irregular fragmentation. Further elemental analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) showed the presence of heavy metals such as aluminium (Al) and cadmium (Cd) on the surface of MPs, attributed to the adsorption capacities of MPs. Polymer types of airborne MPs were analysed using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), which revealed particles composed of polyester (PES), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP). The preliminary findings could provide additional information for further investigations of MPs, especially in the atmosphere, to better understand their sources and potential human exposure.