We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Methods for sampling and detection of microplastics in water and sediment: A critical review
Summary
This critical review evaluates existing methods for sampling and detecting microplastics in water and sediment, identifying flaws in study design such as inconsistent size cutoffs, varied extraction protocols, and non-standardized identification techniques. The authors recommend improvements to increase comparability and reliability of microplastic measurements across studies. Standardization is considered the most important step toward understanding global microplastic contamination.
Microplastics are widespread contaminants, virtually present in all environmental compartments. However, knowledge on sources, fate and environmental concentration over time and space still is limited due to the laborious and varied analytical procedures currently used. In this work we critically review the methods currently used for sampling and detection of microplastics, identifying flaws in study design and suggesting promising alternatives. This work provides insights on bulk sample collection, separation, digestion, identification and quantification, and mitigation of cross-contamination. The sampling of microplastics will improve in representativeness and reproducibility through the determination of bulk sample volume, filter's pore size, density separation and digestion solutions, but also through use of novel methods, such as the enhancement of visual identification by staining dyes, and the generalized use of chemical characterization.