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Development and Application of a Mass Spectrometry Method for Quantifying Nylon Microplastics in Environment
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Researchers developed an acid depolymerization-LC-MS/MS method to quantify nylon (PA6 and PA66) microplastics in environmental samples without prior separation, achieving recoveries of target monomers (6-aminocaproic acid and adipic acid) at environmentally relevant concentrations in water and sediment.
The quantitative detection methods for many microplastic (MP) polymers in the environment are inadequate. For example, effective detection methods for nylon (polyamide, PA), a widely used plastic, in different environmental samples are still lacking. In the present study, a method based on acid depolymerization-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and without the separation of MPs from samples was developed to quantify nylon MPs. After removing the background monomer compounds, PA6 and PA66 were efficiently depolymerized to 6-aminocaproic acid and adipic acid, respectively, and detected by LC-MS/MS. Accordingly, the quantity of nylon MPs was accurately calculated. By using the proposed method, the recovery of spiked PA6 and PA66 MPs in the environmental samples ranged from 90.8 to 98.8%. The limits of quantification for PA6 and PA66 MPs were 0.680 and 4.62 mg/kg, respectively. PA MPs were widely detected in indoor dust, sludge, marine sediment, freshwater sediment, fishery sediment, and fish guts and gills with concentrations of 0.725-321 mg/kg. Extremely high concentrations of PA66 MPs were detected in indoor dust and fish guts and gills, indicating the unequivocal risk of human exposure through dust ingestion and dietary exposure.
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