Jenny Nguyen / Earth & Environmental Sciences / Faculty Mentor: Un-Jung Kim
The increasing presence of microplastic (MP) in the environment is escalating the chronic exposure to those MPs and related due to their durability and small size, especially in heavily populated areas like the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston metroplexes. We investigated the occurrence and characteristics of MPs and in the urban environmental systems (e.g., air and water) of these metroplexes, the first study to do so within these areas. Wet depositions, surface runoffs, and stormwater in creeks were collected after precipitation events. Air samples were primarily collected during the dry season from indoor, outdoor, and roadside. The retrieved filters were visually identified through a binocular microscope and analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to gather both the morphological and compositional characteristics of the MPs. Bead and pellet-shaped MPs were most common in both mediums, with more colored MPs present in water. MP levels were highest during wet weather and in indoor areas. While air and water MP levels showed weak correlations with high variability in concentration and morphology, these detection trend findings of MP concentrations by scenario improves the understanding of urban MP transport and exposure risks.
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