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EcoExposure™ and ISO 24187:2023 Principles in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East: A Gentle, Field-Deployable Framework for Distributed Microplastic and Nanoplastic Screening

Original title: EcoExposure™ and ISO 24187:2023 Principles in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East: A Gentle, Field-Deployable Framework for Distributed Microplastic and Nanoplastic Screening

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2026
Melinda B. Chu

Summary

Scientists have developed a portable, easy-to-use testing tool called EcoExposure™ that can detect tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) in water sources across regions like Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, without needing harsh chemicals or expensive lab equipment. This matters because it could make it much easier and cheaper to track plastic pollution in drinking water and waterways worldwide, especially in areas that previously lacked access to this kind of monitoring—an important step since we're still learning how microplastics in our water might affect human health.

The EcoExposure™ platform utilizes a gentle intact-liquid optical interaction workflow conceptually aligned with several foundational principles of ISO 24187:2023, while supporting diverse environmental monitoring priorities across Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East. By avoiding harsh chemical digestion, elevated temperatures, and extensive sample manipulation, the platform emphasizes contamination reduction, representative sampling, and scalable decentralized screening of total plastic burden in tropical, coastal, riverine, and arid aquatic environments. EcoExposure™ is designed primarily as an environmental intelligence and screening platform intended to complement centralized laboratory workflows. It prioritizes rapid field deployment, repeatable longitudinal measurements, and smartphone-enabled distributed monitoring suitable for the unique conditions of these regions.

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