Due to the increasing evidence of widespread plastic pollution in the air, the impact on plants of airborne particles of polycarbonate (PC), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polyvinylchloride (PVC) was tested by administering pristine and aged airborne micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) to Tillandsia usneoides for two weeks. Here we showed that exposure to pristine MNPs, significantly reduced plant growth with respect to controls. Particularly, PVC almost halved plant development at the end of the treatment, while the other plastics exerted negative effects on growth only at the beginning of the exposure, with final stages comparable to those of controls. Plants exposed to aged MNPs showed significantly decreased growth at early stages with PC, later in the growth with PE, and even later with PET. Aged PVC did not exert a toxic effect on plants. When present, the plastic-mediated reduction in plant growth was coupled with a decrease in photosynthetic activity and alterations in the plant concentration of macro- and micronutrients. The plastic particles were showed to adhere to the plant surface and, preferentially, on the trichome wings. Our results reported, for the first time, evidence of negative effects of airborne plastic pollution on plant health, thus raising concerns for related environmental risks.

由于越来越多的证据表明空气中普遍存在塑料污染，因此通过施用原始和老化的空气传播微粒来测试聚碳酸酯 (PC)、聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯 (PET)、聚乙烯 (PE) 和聚氯乙烯 (PVC) 空气传播颗粒对植物的影响-纳米塑料 (MNPs) 到Tillandsia usneoides两周。在这里，我们表明暴露于原始 MNPs 显着降低了相对于对照的植物生长。特别是，PVC 在处理结束时几乎使植物发育减半，而其他塑料仅在暴露开始时对生长产生负面影响，最后阶段与对照相当。暴露于老化的 MNPs 的植物在 PC 的早期阶段表现出显着降低的生长，在 PE 的后期生长，甚至在 PET 的后期。老化的 PVC 对植物没有毒性作用。当存在时，塑料介导的植物生长减少伴随着光合作用活性的降低和植物大量和微量营养素浓度的改变。显示塑料颗粒粘附在植物表面，并优先粘附在毛状体的翅膀上。