AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Atmospheric Microplastics in Populated and Remote Regions of Colorado
MARWA EL-SAYED, Katherine Benedict, Amy P. Sullivan, Bret Schichtel, Jeffrey Collett, Colorado State University
Abstract Number: 540 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosol
Abstract The topic of microplastic pollution has been targeted by many studies due to its adverse effects on marine, wildlife, and human health. However, these studies were primarily conducted in the marine environment, with limited studies investigating their presences in the atmosphere in Europe and China. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that characterizes atmospheric microplastics in the United States. Filters for analysis of microplastics were collected once a week during the spring and summer in Colorado in the western United States at two sites: Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain National Park which represent suburban and remote areas, respectively. Active and passive sampling were conducted simultaneously to determine both the concentration and the deposition rate of these atmospheric particles (number of particles per unit area per day). Blanks were taken regularly and precautions were instituted to prevent operator contamination of collection media and samples. Visual imaging of microplastics was performed using a light microscope to monitor their count and size. Microplastics were analyzed using Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in conjunction with an Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) accessory and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). These analysis techniques allow us to gain insight into the chemical structure of microplastics in the atmosphere as well as prospective weathering processes responsible for their degradation. Preliminary results provide evidence for the presence of microplastics in different forms including: fragment, film, fiber, and pellet with comparable deposition rates to those reported in previous studies. The source(s) of these particles is examined to identify local versus long-range transport influences.