Är fallskydd och multiplaner en källa till mikroplaster?

Sammanfattning: Microplastics have detrimental effects in marine, fresh water and terrestrial environments and is a pollution of growing concern worldwide. Microplastics originates from many different sources, e.g. from rubber granulates used in artificial turfs. In a recent study, artificial turfs (football fields) were identified as the second largest source of microplastics in Sweden (tyre wear being the largest). Fall protection and so called multicourts are partly made up of the same rubber granulates that are being used in artificial turfs, with the difference that in the case of fall protection and multicourts, the granulates are molded together to form a uniform mass using polyurethane. Despite this molding process, loose rubber granulates has been observed in connection to fall protection and multicourts. The aim of this thesis is to determine how common these types of rubber based surfaces are among playgrounds and schoolyards in the city of Lomma, Sweden, if they all cause loose granulates and to what extent. It also aims at investigating if storm water run-off is a pathway for these microplastics to enter the fresh water and eventually the marine environment. The final aim of this study is to present the legal possibilities that can be used to prevent microplastic pollution from fall protection and multicourts. The method used was an inventory of all playgrounds and schoolyards to determine the number of sites with surfaces containing rubber granulates. The results show that approximately 13% of all playgrounds and schoolyards had one or more surfaces containing rubber granulates. All identified rubber based fall protection and multicourts causes release of microplastics. The results also show that these microplastics enter the fresh water environment via storm water run-off systems at a site studied more closely. However, the Swedish environmental legislation offers several possibilities to counteract this pollution.