eprintid: 10183871 rev_number: 11 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/18/38/71 datestamp: 2023-12-18 11:49:08 lastmod: 2024-06-18 11:39:57 status_changed: 2023-12-18 11:49:08 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Wilhelm, Katrin creators_name: Woor, Sam creators_name: Jackson, Michelle creators_name: Albini, Dania creators_name: Young, Neil creators_name: Karamched, Phani creators_name: Policarpo Wright, Miriam C creators_name: Grau-Bove, Josep creators_name: Orr, Scott Allan creators_name: Longman, Jack creators_name: de Kock, Tim title: Microplastic pollution on historic facades: Hidden 'sink' or urban threat? ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B04 divisions: C04 divisions: F34 note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. abstract: Despite the increasing concerns surrounding the health and environmental risks of microplastics (MPs), the research focus has primarily been on their prevalence in air and the oceans, consequently neglecting their presence on urban facades, which are integral to our everyday environments. Therefore, there is a crucial knowledge gap in comprehending urban MP pollution. Our pioneering interdisciplinary study not only quantifies but also identifies MPs on historic facades, revealing their pervasive presence in a medium-sized urban area in the UK. In this case study, we estimated a mean density of 975,000 fibres/mˆ2 (0.10 fibres/mmˆ2) for fibre lengths between 30 and 1000 μm with a ratio of 1:5 for natural to artificial fibres. Our research identifies three groups of fibre length frequencies across varied exposure scenarios on the investigated urban facade. Sheltered areas (4m height) show a high prevalence of 60–120 μm and 180–240 μm fibres. In contrast, less sheltered areas at 3m exhibit lower fibre frequencies but similar lengths. Notably, the lowest area (2-1.5m) features longer fibres (300–1000 μm), while adjacent area S, near a faulty gutter, shows no fibres, highlighting the impact of exposure, altitude, and environmental variables on fibre distribution on urban facades. Our findings pave one of many necessary paths forward to determine the long-term fate of these fibres and provoke a pertinent question: do historic facades serve as an urban ‘sink’ that mitigates potentially adverse health impacts or amplifies the effects of mobile microplastics? Addressing MP pollution in urban areas is crucial for public health and sustainable cities. More research is required to understand the multi-scale factors behind MP pollution in large cities and to find mitigation strategies, paving the way for effective interventions and policies against this growing threat. date: 2024-02-15 date_type: published publisher: Elsevier BV official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2133243 doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128 lyricists_name: Orr, Scott lyricists_id: SAORR49 actors_name: Flynn, Bernadette actors_id: BFFLY94 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Environmental Pollution volume: 343 article_number: 123128 issn: 0269-7491 citation: Wilhelm, Katrin; Woor, Sam; Jackson, Michelle; Albini, Dania; Young, Neil; Karamched, Phani; Policarpo Wright, Miriam C; ... de Kock, Tim; + view all <#> Wilhelm, Katrin; Woor, Sam; Jackson, Michelle; Albini, Dania; Young, Neil; Karamched, Phani; Policarpo Wright, Miriam C; Grau-Bove, Josep; Orr, Scott Allan; Longman, Jack; de Kock, Tim; - view fewer <#> (2024) Microplastic pollution on historic facades: Hidden 'sink' or urban threat? Environmental Pollution , 343 , Article 123128. 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10183871/1/1-s2.0-S0269749123021309-main.pdf