The negative effects of air pollution, especially fine
particulate
matter (PM2.5, particles with an aerodynamic diameter of
≤2.5 μm), on human health, climate, and ecosystems are
causing significant concern. Nevertheless, little is known about the
contributions of emerging pollutants such as plastic particles to
PM2.5 due to the lack of continuous measurements and characterization
methods for atmospheric plastic particles. Here, we investigated the
levels of fine plastic particles (FPPs) in PM2.5 collected
in urban Shanghai at a 2 h resolution by using a novel versatile aerosol
concentration enrichment system that concentrates ambient aerosols
up to 10-fold. The FPPs were analyzed offline using the combination
of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques that distinguished FPPs
from other carbon-containing particles. The average FPP concentrations
of 5.6 μg/m3 were observed, and the ratio of FPPs
to PM2.5 was 13.2% in this study. The FPP sources were
closely related to anthropogenic activities, which pose a potential
threat to ecosystems and human health. Given the dramatic increase
in plastic production over the past 70 years, this study calls for
better quantification and control of FPP pollution in the atmosphere.