학술논문
The Montreal Protocol and the fate of environmental plastic debris.
Document Type
Article
Author
Source
Subject
*PLASTIC scrap
*SOLAR ultraviolet radiation
*SURFACE of the earth
*MARINE debris
*AIR pollutants
*PLASTIC scrap recycling
VIENNA Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985). Protocols, etc., 1987 Sept. 15
*
*
*
*
*
Language
ISSN
1474-905X
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging class of pollutants in air, soil and especially in all aquatic environments. Secondary MPs are generated in the environment during fragmentation of especially photo-oxidised plastic litter. Photo-oxidation is mediated primarily by solar UV radiation. The implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments, which have resulted in controlling the tropospheric UV-B (280–315 nm) radiation load, is therefore pertinent to the fate of environmental plastic debris. Due to the Montreal Protocol high amounts of solar UV-B radiation at the Earth's surface have been avoided, retarding the oxidative fragmentation of plastic debris, leading to a slower generation and accumulation of MPs in the environment. Quantifying the impact of the Montreal Protocol in reducing the abundance of MPs in the environment, however, is complicated as the role of potential mechanical fragmentation of plastics under environmental mechanical stresses is poorly understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]