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Microplastics generated when opening plastic packaging
Scientific Reports2020
314 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.
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Zahra Sobhani,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Cheng Fang,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Cheng Fang,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Yongjia Lei,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Zahra Sobhani,
Xian Zhang,
Yongjia Lei,
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Xian Zhang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Yongjia Lei,
Yongjia Lei,
Xian Zhang,
Xian Zhang,
Xian Zhang,
Xian Zhang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Youhong Tang,
Liwei Wu,
Yongjia Lei,
Yongjia Lei,
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Xian Zhang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Youhong Tang,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Youhong Tang,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Yongjia Lei,
Yongjia Lei,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Yongjia Lei,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Ravi Naidu
Yongjia Lei,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Youhong Tang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Cheng Fang,
Xian Zhang,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Cheng Fang,
Yongjia Lei,
Mallavarapu Megharaj,
Cheng Fang,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Yongjia Lei,
Yongjia Lei,
Yongjia Lei,
Ravi Naidu
Ravi Naidu
Summary
Researchers discovered that everyday actions like cutting, tearing, and twisting open plastic packaging generate measurable amounts of microplastics, ranging from about 0.46 to 250 particles per centimeter of cut. The amount released depended on factors like the stiffness, thickness, and type of plastic material. The finding reveals a previously unrecognized source of microplastic exposure that occurs routinely in daily life.
Millions of tonnes of plastics have been released into the environment. Although the risk of plastics to humans is not yet resolved, microplastics, in the range of 1 μm - 5 mm, have entered our bodies, originating either from ingestion via the food chain or from inhalation of air. Generally there are two sources of microplastics, either directly from industry, such as cosmetic exfoliants, or indirectly from physical, chemical and biological fragmentation of large (>5 mm) plastic residues. We have found that microplastics can be generated by simple tasks in our daily lives such as by scissoring with scissors, tearing with hands, cutting with knives or twisting manually, to open plastics containers/bags/tapes/caps. These processes can generate about 0.46-250 microplastic/cm. This amount is dependent on the conditions such as stiffness, thickness, anisotropy, the density of plastic materials and the size of microplastics.This finding sends an important warning, that we must be careful when opening plastic packaging, if we are concerned about microplastics and care about reducing microplastics contamination.