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Microplastic occurrence in urban and industrial soils of Ahvaz metropolis: A city with a sustained record of air pollution

The Science of The Total Environment 2021 105 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 50 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Rosa Busquets Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Fatemeh Mohit, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Behnam Keshavarzi, Fatemeh Mohit, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Rosa Busquets Farid Moore, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Farid Moore, Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Mohammad Javad Nematollahi, Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets Rosa Busquets

Summary

Researchers documented microplastic contamination in urban and industrial soils of Ahvaz, Iran for the first time, finding concentrations up to 3,135 particles per kilogram in urban areas, with the highest levels in city centers lacking adequate sanitation infrastructure.

This study investigates, for the first time, the concentration, distribution, fate and chemical composition of microplastics (MPs) in urban and industrial soils of Ahvaz metropolis, SW Iran. MP concentrations ranged from 100 to 3135 and 80 to1220 unit·kg in urban and industrial soils, respectively, with corresponding means of 619 and 390 unit·kg. The most contaminated urban sites were located in the city center. Precisely these areas were affected by insufficient sanitation infrastructure including sewer systems, surface runoff collection and sewage treatment, and also high traffic loading in a commercial zone. MPs were found in various shapes, colours and sizes. In particular, microfibres (white-transparent and < 250 μm) were the most abundant MPs found in urban (70%) and industrial (55%) soils. Based on the weathering observed in the MPs, a large number of them originated from the fragmentation of other plastics and could have been photobleached. Polyethylene terephthalate and nylon were the dominant polymers in the MPs found in both industrial and urban soils and they could originate from textiles and tyres.

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