来自澳大利亚、美国、印度和波兰的研究人员梳理了火灾过程中产生的塑料衍生颗粒物（PyP-PM）的形成机制、环境迁移规律与健康风险。

随着野火、建筑火灾以及露天废物焚烧的发生频次增加，建筑材料、生活用品和基础设施中的塑料会在高温下发生熔融、裂解与不完全燃烧，释放出微米至纳米尺度的塑料颗粒。研究人员指出，PyP-PM既不同于经机械磨损或光照老化形成的常规微塑料，也有异于天然生物质燃烧产生的颗粒物：这类颗粒通常以碳化或部分分解的聚合物和烟炱为核心，表面富集多环芳烃、重金属、塑料添加剂及环境持久性自由基，因此同时具备微纳塑料的环境持久性与燃烧污染物的化学毒性。此类颗粒可通过大气实现远距离输送，最终沉降至土壤和水体，还可经呼吸进入人体肺部，引发氧化应激与炎症，并可能对神经系统和心肺健康造成不良影响。目前，现有研究仍缺乏统一的采样和检测标准，也难以在复杂的火灾烟雾中区分塑料颗粒与普通烟炱；同时，真实火灾条件下的排放因子、长期环境归趋及毒理学证据也存在不足。研究建议，应将PyP-PM纳入火灾排放清单、空气质量监测和公共健康风险评估体系，并加强荒地与城市交界区、建筑火灾和露天塑料焚烧场景下的系统性研究。

此篇名为《Pyroplastic particulate matter from fire events adds a hidden dimension of plastic pollution》的综述文章被在线发表于2026年8月的《Communications Earth & Environment》期刊。

 

Researchers from Australia, the United States, India, and Poland have reviewed the formation mechanisms, environmental transport pathways, and health risks of plastic-derived particulate matter (PyP-PM) generated during fire events.

The abstract is as follows:

Wildfires and structural fires increasingly involve synthetic materials, yet plastic transformation during combustion remains poorly understood. Here we characterise plastic-derived particulate matter generated during fire events, termed pyroplastic particulate matter (PyP-PM): airborne micro- to nanoscale particles from thermal degradation of synthetic polymers, comprising carbonized polymer matrices enriched with combustion-derived toxicants and additives, particularly the inhalable fraction (< 10 μm). PyP-PM is physicochemically and toxicologically distinct from conventional micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs): a carbonaceous soot core bears adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, conferring elevated oxidative potential, alongside environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) that extend particle reactivity in the atmosphere. Generated during wildfires, structural fires, and open burning at wildland-urban interfaces (WUI), PyP-PM combines MNP environmental persistence with the toxicity of combustion by-products and additives. This review outlines PyP-PM formation pathways, chemistry, and dispersion, emphasising long-range atmospheric transport and accumulation in ecosystems and human lungs. We identify research gaps, including the absence of standardised detection methods, limited toxicological evidence (particularly on neuroinflammatory pathways), and poor integration of PyP-PM into fire and air-quality models. Recognising PyP-PM as an emergent pollutant at the climate-fire-plastic nexus is essential for advancing monitoring frameworks, informing fire management policy, and protecting vulnerable communities from fire-driven pollution.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03945-7