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Traffic-related microplastic particles, metals, and organic pollutants in an urban area under reconstruction

The Science of The Total Environment 2021 175 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.
Maria Polukarova, Helén Galfi, Ida Järlskog, Helén Galfi, Maria Polukarova, Maria Polukarova, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Ida Järlskog, Helén Galfi, Helén Galfi, Maria Polukarova, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Helén Galfi, Ida Järlskog, Helén Galfi, Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Ida Järlskog, Ida Järlskog, Ida Järlskog, Ida Järlskog, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Maria Aronsson, Maria Aronsson, Kerstin Magnusson Anna Markiewicz, Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Maria Polukarova, Maria Polukarova, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Karin Björklund, Mats Gustafsson, Mats Gustafsson, Maria Polukarova, Maria Polukarova, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Mats Gustafsson, Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Helén Galfi, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Ida Järlskog, Helén Galfi, Mats Gustafsson, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Karin Björklund, Kerstin Magnusson Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Ida Järlskog, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ida Järlskog, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Kerstin Magnusson Helén Galfi, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Karin Björklund, Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Helén Galfi, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Maria Polukarova, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Maria Polukarova, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Helén Galfi, Maria Polukarova, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Mats Gustafsson, Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson Karin Björklund, Malin Norin, Helén Galfi, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Mats Gustafsson, Mats Gustafsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Maria Aronsson, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Rita Garção, Kerstin Magnusson Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Maria Aronsson, Kerstin Magnusson Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Rita Garção, Ann‐Margret Strömvall, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Anna Markiewicz, Kerstin Magnusson Ida Järlskog, Maria Aronsson, Maria Aronsson, Kerstin Magnusson Maria Aronsson, Maria Aronsson, Mats Gustafsson, Kerstin Magnusson Malin Norin, Kerstin Magnusson Lena Blom, Lena Blom, Yvonne Andersson‐Sköld, Kerstin Magnusson Kerstin Magnusson

Summary

A study in a Gothenburg urban reconstruction area simultaneously measured microplastics, metals, and organic pollutants in road washwater, sweepsand, and stormwater, finding correlations among pollutant types and highlighting road runoff as a key pathway for co-transport to receiving waters.

Polymers
Study Type Environmental

In urban environments, particularly areas under reconstruction, metals, organic pollutants (OP), and microplastics (MP), are released in large amounts due to heavy traffic. Road runoff, a major transport route for urban pollutants, contributes significantly to a deteriorated water quality in receiving waters. This study was conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is unique because it simultaneously investigates the occurrence of OP, metals, and MP on roads and in stormwater from an urban area under reconstruction. Correlations between the various pollutants were also explored. The study was carried out by collecting washwater and sweepsand generated from street sweeping, road surface sampling, and flow-proportional stormwater sampling on several occasions. The liquid and solid samples were analyzed for metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), oxy-PAH, aliphatics, aromatics, phthalates, and MP. The occurrence of OP was also analyzed with a non-target screening method of selected samples. Microplastics, i.e. plastic fragments/fibers, paint fragments, tire wear particles (TWP) and bitumen, were analyzed with a method based on density separation with sodium iodide and identification with a stereo microscope, melt-tests, and tactile identification. MP concentrations amounted to 1500 particles/L in stormwater, 51,000 particles/L in washwater, and 2.6 × 10<sup>6</sup> particles/kg dw in sweepsand. In stormwater, washwater and sweepsand, MP ≥20 μm were found to be dominated by TWP (38%, 83% and 78%, respectively). The results confirm traffic as an important source to MP, OP, and metal emissions. Concentrations exceeding water and sediment quality guidelines for metals (e.g. Cu and Zn), PAH, phthalates, and aliphatic hydrocarbons in the C<sub>16</sub>-C<sub>35</sub> fraction were found in most samples. The results show that the street sweeper collects large amounts of polluted materials and thereby prevents further spread of the pollutants to the receiving stormwater.

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