Dr. Sylwia Dytłow from the Department of Magnetism at the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences (IGF PAN), has completed the Sonata project she led, funded by the National Science Centre (acronym: PARMAG; grant number 2021/43/D/ST10/00996).
The project focused on developing a new application of magnetic parameters to assess the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in road dust particle-size fractions, investigating magnetic-organic heteroaggregates in fine road dust fractions, and examining the status of microplastic contamination in road dust.
The project resulted in 8 publications with a combined Impact Factor of 54.7 (Q1/Q2) and a total of 1,080 MNiSW points for IG PAS (including two articles in the Journal of Hazardous Materials-IF 11.3 and 10.6 as well as articles in Environmental Research -IF 8.2-and Environmental Pollution -IF 7.7).
We invite you to watch the video summarizing the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joaXTEA0LSI
Full list of publications from 2025-2026:
- 200 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 11.3, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389425014086
- 200 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 10.6, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389426009222
- 100 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 8.2, Environmental Research, Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935126005931
- 100 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 7.7, Environmental Pollution, Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749126005956
- 140 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 4.9, Scientific Reports, Nature Portfolio https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-52446-2
- 100 points MNiSW, Q2, IF 4.3, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Springer, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10653-026-03240-6
- 140 points MNiSW, Q1, IF 3.9, Scientific Reports, Nature Portfolio. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-95972-1
- 100 points MNiSW, Q2, IF 3.8, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10653-024-02344-1
The project’s achievements have gained recognition within the international scientific community: they were selected as one of a handful of groundbreaking scientific findings-highlighted for their media impact-out of over 20,000 submissions to the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026. Dr. Sylwia Dytłow—the only Polish researcher and the sole representative of a Polish institution—was invited to the EGU press conference. A recording of the presentation from the press conference can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjbivIcpc04&t=285s.
Dr. Sylwia Dytłow
The results of the PARMAG project generated significant media coverage, including reports in international media, such as a press releases from the Austrian Press Agency (https://science.apa.at/rubrik/natur/) published on the https://orf.at/ website:
https://science.orf.at/stories/3235384
https://wien.orf.at/stories/3352926/
https://wien.orf.at/stories/3352926
https://www.news.at/gesundheit/forscherin-fand-in-wien-gesundheitsgefahrdenden-strassenstaub
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX9pGgYMR6m
https://www.news.at/technik/forscherin-fand-in-wien-viel-und-gesundheitsgefahrdenden-strassenstaub
https://share.google/hHf1yTBAzYcm8iXNc
and national (including TVP, Polish Radio podcast Eureka, Radio Kampus)
https://forumakademickie.pl/badania/naukowcy-igf-pan-badaja-pyl-drogowy-i-jego-wplyw-na-zdrowie
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJcDPQqtSf3/?igsh=MW94eHRlMmwzanVycA==
https://forumakademickie.pl/badania/male-czasteczki-wielkie-zagrozenie
The results obtained within the PARMAG project laid the groundwork for new research directions and served as direct inspiration for the development of the PLASMAG research project, titled “Application of magnetic carriers for the removal of microplastics from real road dust samples collected in urban areas: from laboratory experiments to real environmental conditions” (OPUS 30, grant no. 2025/59/B/ST10/00639). This project will be carried out by Dr. Sylwia Dytłow at the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences between 2026 and 2030.