Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Science
Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
First Advisor
Un-Jung Kim
Second Advisor
Rajendiran Karthikraj
Third Advisor
Yunyao Li
Abstract
Microplastics (MP) pollution is an emerging health concern that affects humans and the environment. Urban areas are high exposure zones due to consistent anthropogenic and industrial activity. With air and water as important MP transport and exposure pathways, monitoring and estimating their human exposures are necessary. Air samples were collected from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston in Texas and Cusco, Peru and water samples were from Tarrant County (DFW), Texas. The samples were analyzed using the pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS) and the EDI (estimated daily intake) of inhalation and ingestion (normal and high exposures) were calculated. PS, PP, PE, PVC, PMMA, PET, and PC were the targeted polymers (n = 7). PP, PVC, and PS were dominant in air samples while PP was dominant in water samples. Results found that air MP concentrations may be site-dependent and water MP concentrations may be affected by extreme seasonal conditions in the fall and summer (e.g., heatwaves or severe winter events) but not by precipitation in the DFW region. Both air and water samples showed extremely weak to moderate correlations with temperature and wind speed, suggesting that additional unaccounted factors may influence MP concentration variability. MP air concentrations ranged from 0.00018 – 9.15 µg/g and
Keywords
Microplastics, Air quality, Water quality, Urban area, Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Environmental pollutants, Estimated daily intake, Human risks
Disciplines
Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Jenny K., "Occurrence of Microplastics in the Urban Air and Water Systems and Associated Exposure Risks" (2026). Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses-Archive. 220.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/ees_theses/220