Fig. 2: Polymer-specific composition of airborne micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) indicated by size fraction.
From: Composition, interactions and resulting inhalation risk of micro- and nano-plastics in urban air
Percentage contribution of dominant and minor polymers in (a) PM10MNPs, (b) Fine microplastics (FMPs), and (c) Coarse microplastics (CMPs). Tire wear particles [TWPs: Car tire tread (CTT; light gray color) + Truck tire tread (TTT; dark gray color)] contributed the highest fraction across all size classes, followed by polyethylene (C-PE; orange color), polyvinyl chloride (C-PVC*; olive color), and polyethylene terephthalate (C-PET; blue color). Polystyrene (C-PS; dark yellow), Polypropylene (C-PP; pink color), polymethyl methacrylate (C-PMMA; yellow color), and polycarbonate (C-PC; green color) were found at lower levels.
