Engineered Polystyrene-Based Microplastics of High Environmental Relevance.

ABSTRACT: Microplastic (MP) pollution-an emerging environmental challenge of the 21st century-refers to accumulation of environmentally weathered polymer-based particles with potential environmental and health risks. Because of technical and practical challenges when using environmental MPs for risk assessment, most available data are generated using plastic models of limited environmental relevancy (i.e., with physicochemical characteristics inherently different from those of environmental MPs). In this study, we assess the effect of dominant weathering conditions-including thermal, photo-, and mechanical degradation-on surface and bulk characteristics of polystyrene (PS)-based single-use products. Further, we augment the environmental relevance of model-enabled risk assessment through the design o

SUBMITTER: Sarkar AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8383278 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature