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Quantifying Nanoplastics and Microplastics in Food and Beverages Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: Challenges and Implications
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Scientists used a specialized analytical technique to measure nanoplastics and microplastics in common Australian foods and beverages, estimating that people consume about 1.7 to 2.0 milligrams of plastic per year from drinks like water, tea, coffee, beer, and wine alone. The study also highlighted that current detection methods may undercount plastic contamination in solid foods because of measurement limitations.
The widespread use of plastics has led to contamination of all environmental compartments, including food, by nanoplastics (NP) and microplastics (MP). However, the full extent of dietary exposure remains unclear due to analytical limitations and insufficient data on commonly consumed foods. This study aims to provide new insight into this area by assessing the effectiveness of pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC–MS) in measuring NP and MP contamination in food and beverages and conducting the first Australian food basket survey to estimate dietary exposure for the Australian population. The study evaluated challenges and uncertainties in analyzing food matrices by Pyr-GC–MS, such as background contamination, high method detection limits, and matrix interferences. The concentrations of plastics in the food matrices analyzed were low, and accelerated solvent extraction, prior to Pyr-GC–MS analysis, did not achieve the sensitivity required for quantification. Conversely, beverage filtration provided improved sensitivity. NP and MP exposure from drinking water, tea, coffee, beer, and wine was estimated at 1.7–2.0 mg/person/year, with polypropylene being the major contributor.
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