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Flow cytometry as new promising detection tool for micro and submicron plastic particles
Summary
Researchers evaluated flow cytometry as a detection tool for micro- and nanoplastics, testing its ability to rapidly identify and count plastic particles in environmental and biological samples. Results demonstrated that flow cytometry offers a promising high-throughput approach for microplastic detection compared to more time-intensive conventional methods.
Plastic pollution represents a global environmental issue with relevant associated risks for ecosystems and human health. Several analytical tools have been exploited allowing the rapid tracking and identification of micro/nanoplastics (MNPs). However, despite increasing scientific attention, the detection of plastic debris in the submicron and nanometric size range is still challenging. In this work, we applied flow cytometry as a detection technique to uncover the release of MNPs generated from nonwoven textiles once discarded in the environment. As assessed by microscopy and flow cytometry, the exposure to different levels of mechanical stress forces (from low to high shear stress intensities) was proved to be effective in breaking and fragmenting plastic fabrics into smaller debris, including macro-, micro-, and nano-plastics. Even at low level of fabric deterioration following the first second of treatment, few tens of cm^2 could release in water thousands of microplastic fibers and up to 10^8 submicrometric particles, mostly comprised in the nano-sized domain. Flow cytometry was proven to be a suitable approach for detecting micro and submicron plastic particles in aquatic samples, thus contributing to fulfilling the current gap in methodology. Further research is needed to evaluate MNPs in complex environmental samples by means of flow cytometry. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/556470/document