Microplastic in the Snow on Sledding Hills in Green Areas of Krakow

Jarosław Lasota, Wojciech Piaszczyk (), Sylwester Tabor and Ewa Błońska
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Jarosław Lasota: Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29 Listopada 46 Str., 31-425 Kraków, Poland
Wojciech Piaszczyk: Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29 Listopada 46 Str., 31-425 Kraków, Poland
Sylwester Tabor: Department of Machinery Exploitation, Ergonomics and Production Processes, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Balicka 116 B Str., 31-149 Krakow, Poland
Ewa Błońska: Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29 Listopada 46 Str., 31-425 Kraków, Poland

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Every year we are more and more exposed to the negative impact of microplastic. Our research aimed to determine the amount of microplastic in the snow on sledding hills in green areas of Krakow. The sledding hills in winter are very intensively used by children and it is very important to monitor the condition of these places in terms of microplastic contamination. In our research, we assessed whether children playing on sledding hills may be exposed to microplastic. Our research covered 10 sledding hills of various sizes located in the green areas of Krakow. Our research has confirmed the presence of significant amounts of microplastics in snow collected on sledding hills. Three times as much microplastic was found in the snow on the higher hills (2.78 mg/L) compared to the lower sledding hills (0.96 mg/L). In the snow collected on sledding hills from the green areas of Krakow, a large diversity of microplastic in terms of type, size, color, and shape was noted. The dominant type of microplastic found during the research was polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), hydrocarbon resin (HCR), and polyester (PES). The share of two microplastic fractions of 1.1–2.0 mm and 2.1–3.0 mm accounted for over 50% of the whole amount. After melting the snow, microplastic goes to the soil surface, which can lead to changes in the properties of the soil, and due to its strong hydrophobicity, it will play an important role in the transport of toxic compounds, e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our research suggests limiting the use of plastic sleds and replacing them with wooden sleds, which will not be a source of pollution for urban green spaces used by residents regardless of the season.

Keywords: children’s playground; FTIR; land uses; microplastic; urban areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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