Weathering Plastics as a Planetary Boundary Threat: Exposure, Fate, and Hazards
Hans Peter H. Arp, Dana Kühnel, Christoph Rummel, Matthew MacLeod, Annegret Potthoff, Sophia Reichelt, Elisa Rojo‐Nieto, Mechthild Schmitt‐Jansen, Johanna Sonnenberg, Erik Toorman, Annika Jahnke
Abstract
and their thresholds. We provide evidence that the third criterion could be fulfilled for weathering plastics in sensitive environments and therefore conclude that weathering plastics pose a planetary boundary threat. We suggest future research priorities to better understand (eco)toxicological hazards modulated by increasing exposure and continuous weathering processes, to better parametrize the planetary boundary threshold for plastic pollution.
Topics & Concepts
WeatheringContext (archaeology)MicroplasticsEnvironmental sciencePollutionAstrobiologyEarth scienceEnvironmental chemistryGeologyChemistryEcologyBiologyGeochemistryPaleontologyMicroplastics and Plastic PollutionRecycling and Waste Management Techniques