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Challenges in the analysis of microplastics and nanoplastics extracted from marine biological tissues: a review
Summary
Scientists are still working out the best way to detect tiny plastic particles hiding inside fish and other seafood—this review rounds up the current methods and shows that certain techniques (like using alkaline chemicals to dissolve tissue) can recover over 95% of the plastic for analysis. Getting these methods standardized matters because it's the first step to reliably measuring how much microplastic and nanoplastic contamination is actually in the seafood we eat, which is key to understanding any potential health risks.
Abstract Unlike many common pollutants, the analysis of microplastics is challenging because these contaminants are macromolecular, they have very different size and composition, and they occur in the environment associated with other matter. Here, we review the extraction of microplastics and nanoplastics from marine organisms, with emphasis on standardization and optimization of extraction protocols. Most methods involve digesting the organic material of the organism tissue, thus leaving behind the plastic particles, which are then separated and identified. Alkali treatment has shown high recovery rates, often above 95%. Recovery might be improved by combination with other treatments, e.g. using surfactants and enzymes. Low digestion temperature is suggested to prevent plastic degradation and low-pressure filtration to avoid loss of microfibers and small particles. Detection is preferred by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy allows physical characterization at the nanoscale. We also discuss the relevance of the use of ‘microplastic’ and ‘nanoplastic’ terminologies, and propose a novel size-based nomenclature.