Chances are you may not have realized that paints are plastic! On average, paints are comprised of 37% plastic, and recent modeling suggests that paints are a major source of microplastics to the environment, if not the largest source. As paints wear and tear, they form small particles that pollute the environment.
Closeup of old paint in underpass alongside Don River © Chelsea Rochman
Project Overview
This project is part of a larger effort to identify the sources of paint microplastics in the environment, the extent of contamination in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the ecological effects on resident animals. Scientists are only beginning to recognize the great contribution of paints to microplastic pollution. In this project, we aim to grow public recognition of paint microplastics in tandem with developing a scientific understanding of this pollutant.
By understanding the current state of government management of paints across their lifecycle, our goal is to identify gaps in the current policy landscape of paints that, if addressed, may reduce paint microplastic pollution.
This Project Aims to:
- Enhance public awareness to recognize paints as a source of microplastics.
- Provide an overview of policies adopted globally to manage paints across their lifecycle.
How Paint Microplastics are Formed
Paints are ubiquitous in the built environment. For example, paints and coatings cover cars, roads, buildings, boats, buoys, and pipes, in addition to craft and hobby paints that may decorate buildings or be washed down the drain. Due to exposure to sunlight, rain, snow, or wave action, paints weather and form microplastics that can enter the environment. In terrestrial ecosystems, paint microplastics may be transported to rivers, lakes, and the ocean through stormwater runoff and wastewater discharge.
Photo: Paint peeling from an underpass wall adjacent to the Don River in Toronto. (© Chelsea Rochman)
Paint microplastics in aquatic ecosystems may sink and become deposited in sediments. Paint microplastics have also been documented in animals like freshwater catfish and green sea turtles. One study even identified paint microplastics in the human placenta.
Project Results to Date
Paints are an emerging source of microplastics. To aid in our understanding and their identification in environmental matrices like water and sediment, we have begun by conducting a systematic review of the sources of paint microplastics, methods of quantification, contamination in the environment, and ecotoxicological effects on animals. This study synthesized 62 peer-reviewed articles on paint microplastics. Although paints may be the greatest source of microplastics to the environment, few studies focus on paint microplastics.
To aid in quantifying paint microplastics in the environment, we have created an open-access spectral library of paints and will be expanding on this library.
Photo: Paint microplastics created from paints collected in Toronto before undergoing spectral analysis. (© Zoie Diana)
This project is led by Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Zoie Diana and is supervised by Dr. Chelsea Rochman in partnership with Dr. Paul Helm at Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and Dr. Britta Baechler and Nicholas Mallos at Ocean Conservancy.
Zoie is an interdisciplinary scholar interested in understanding the ecological consequences of plastic pollution and societal responses to this global issue. Prior to her postdoc, Zoie earned her Ph.D. in Marine Science and Conservation and Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health at Duke University.
For more information, please email Zoie Diana or Chelsea Rochman.
This project is in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Ocean Conservancy and funded by the Liber Ero postdoctoral fellowship program.
