Materials and Publications

Key sources of microplastics to the environment: Paint

It is estimated 12.7 million metric tons (MT) of plastics enter the environment as microplastics every year, the main sources being paint, tyres, pellets, textiles and personal care products. There are  substantial additional quantities from the fragmentation of larger items of plastic that have already entered the environment as debris.

The following document is part of a series of working papers that provide an overview of the fate, effects, and potential mitigation strategies for each of these sources of microplastics. It focuses on paint, which is estimated to be one of the largest sources of microplastics to the environment, accounting for annual releases of around 4.68 MT 1.

Rana Al-jaibachi (University of Sheffield, UK), Winnie Courtene-Jones (Bangor University, UK), Stephanie Reynaud (Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour; CNRS, France), Conrad Sparks (Cape Peninsula University of Technology, SA), Juan Baztan (University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France), Max Kelly (University of Plymouth, UK), Richard C. Thompson (University of Plymouth, UK).

These working papers have been prepared independently by members of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty and have yet to go through the standard review process of the Scientists’ Coalition.

 

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