Microplastic characterization of atmospheric particulate matter samples collected in different sizes

Due to the widespread use of plastics, microplastics have become a serious environmental threat to ecosystems and human health. However, the presence of airborne microplastics in the atmosphere and the determination of the size range of microplastics play an important role in the level of human exposure to microplastics by inhalation. Many studies have already demonstrated the presence of microplastics in the atmosphere, but a limited number of studies have investigated the size distribution of airborne microplastics. This study aims to investigate the size distribution of microplastics in particulate matter, to examine the potential behavior and properties of microplastics in the atmosphere. Atmospheric microplastics were investigated in PM samples collected with a cascade impactor from the urban station established in the city center of Kütahya. In order to comprehensively and accurately examine the air pollution behavior of MPs, the characterization and size distribution of microplastics in 6 different size ranges (>10,2; 10,2-4,2; 4,2-2,1; 2,1-1,3; 1,3- 0,69 ve <0,69 µm) in PM samples were determined using SEM/EDX and Raman Spectroscopy. Atmospheric microplastics were visually examined under a light microscope, then surface topographic properties and elemental composition were examined by SEM/EDX, and Raman spectroscopy was used for chemical analysis. Our study confirmed the widespread presence of respirable MPs in the atmosphere and provides solid foundations for future work to understand the inhalation exposure conditions of MPs. We propose a new extraction method for the preparation of atmospheric microplastic samples for analysis. The study confirmed the widespread presence of respirable MPs in the atmosphere, and the highest amount of microplastic was found in the size 3 grade (4.2 -2.1μm). The thesis work provides solid foundations for future work to understand the inhalation exposure conditions of MPs.