Traffic-related microplastic particles, metals, and organic pollutants in an urban area under reconstruction

In urban environments, particularly areas under reconstruction, metals, organic pollutants (OP), and microplastics (MP), are released in large amounts due to heavy traffic. Road runoff, a major transport route for pollutants, contributes significantly deteriorated water quality receiving waters. This study was conducted Gothenburg, Sweden, is unique because it simultaneously investigates the occurrence of OP, MP on roads stormwater from an area reconstruction. Correlations between various were also explored. The carried out by collecting washwater sweepsand generated street sweeping, road surface sampling, flow-proportional sampling several occasions. liquid solid samples analyzed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), oxy-PAH, aliphatics, aromatics, phthalates, MP. OP with non-target screening method selected samples. Microplastics, i.e. plastic fragments/fibers, paint fragments, tire wear particles (TWP) bitumen, based density separation sodium iodide identification stereo microscope, melt-tests, tactile identification. concentrations amounted 1500 particles/L stormwater, 51,000 washwater, 2.6 × 10 6 particles/kg dw sweepsand. sweepsand, ?20 ?m found be dominated TWP (38%, 83% 78%, respectively). results confirm traffic as important source MP, metal emissions. Concentrations exceeding sediment guidelines metals (e.g. Cu Zn), PAH, aliphatic C 16 –C 35 fraction most show that sweeper collects polluted materials thereby prevents further spread stormwater. • material. microscopy, melt-tests High TWP, emitted reconstruction area. New identified non-targeted deconvolution GC/MS method. Street sweeping promising measure reduce metals.