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Limits, challenges, and opportunities of sampling groundwater wells with plastic casings for microplastic investigations
Summary
Researchers examined the challenges of sampling groundwater for microplastics when monitoring wells are constructed with PVC plastic casings. They found that PVC well casings can introduce contamination artifacts that complicate microplastic detection, since the casing material itself may shed particles into samples. The study highlights the need for careful reporting of well construction details and development of protocols that account for this potential source of sample contamination.
Investigating microplastics (MPs) in groundwater suffers from problems already faced by surface water research, such as the absence of common protocols for sampling and analysis. While the use of plastic instruments during the collection, processing, and analysis of water samples is usually avoided in order to minimize unintentional contamination, groundwater research encompassing MPs faces unique challenges. Groundwater sampling typically relies on pre-existing monitoring wells (MWs) and water wells (WWs) that are often constructed with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) casings or pipes due to their favorable price-performance ratio. Despite the convenience, however, the suitability of PVC casings for MP research is questionable. Unfortunately, the specifics of these wells are often not detailed in published studies. Current literature does not indicate significant pollution risks from PVC casings, suggesting these wells might still be viable for MP studies. Our preliminary analysis of the existing literature indicates that if PVC exceeds 6 % of the total MP concentration, it is likely that casings and pipes made of PVC are a source of pollution. Above this threshold, additional investigations in MWs and WWs with PVC casings and pipes are suggested.
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