ArticlePloS one2025
Atmospheric deposition of microplastics in urban, rural, forest environments: A case study of Thulamela Local Municipality.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Influence of solution chemical properties and porous medium surface coatings on the transport and retention behavior of polystyrene microplastics.RSC advances · 2026Article
- Micro- and Nanoplastics Exposure Across the Lifespan: One Health Implications for Aging and Longevity.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Review
- Article
- A Review of the Sampling, Analysis, and Identification Techniques of Microplastics in the Air: Insights into PMPolymers · 2025Review
- Review
- Plastic Smell: A Review of the Hidden Threat of Airborne Micro and Nanoplastics to Human Health and the Environment.Toxics · 2025Review
- Are northern communities an overlooked source of microplastics and tire wear particles in the Arctic?PeerJ · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution, a pressing environmental issue globally, has received considerable attention in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. However, studies on the deposition of airborne MPs, particularly in Southern African regions, have received less attention. As such, the current study aimed at investigating the atmospheric deposition of MPs across three different environments, namely urban, rural and forest in the Thulamela Local Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa. We hypothesised that MP deposition will exhibit significant differences between different environments, with the urban environment having the highest MP deposition fluxes due to the dense population in the area and high human activities. The study results showed that MP deposition fluxes varied significantly across the environments, ranging from 90.51 ± 15.19 - 355.64 ± 47.65 particles/m2/day, with an overall average of 211.87 ± 31.44 particles/m2/day. The highest deposition was recorded in urban environment, while the lowest was observed in the forested environment. The overall deposited MPs were mainly transparent fibres and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Furthermore, MP deposition found in the forest environment demonstrated a strong positive correlation with rainfall, suggesting that rainfall events play a significant role in the transporting and deposition of MP. The study further shed light on the possible fate of urban and rural atmospheric deposition, which has implications for pristine environments, indicating the transport and potential ecological impacts of MP pollution even in less populated and isolated environments.
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Registered trials
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