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Detection Methods
Policy & Risk
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Detection limits are central to improve reporting standards when using Nile red for microplastic quantification
Chemosphere2020
101 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 40
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Simeon Onoja,
Simeon Onoja,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Andrew J. Chetwynd,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Holly Nel
Liam Kelleher,
Henar Margenat,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Imogen Mansfield,
Simeon Onoja,
Simeon Onoja,
Andrew J. Chetwynd,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Andrew J. Chetwynd,
Andrew J. Chetwynd,
Stefan Krause,
Liam Kelleher,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Henar Margenat,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Henar Margenat,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Henar Margenat,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer,
Stefan Krause,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Imogen Mansfield,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Holly Nel
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Henar Margenat,
Holly Nel
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Liam Kelleher,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Stefan Krause,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Liam Kelleher,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Liam Kelleher,
Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Henar Margenat,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Liam Kelleher,
Liam Kelleher,
Holly Nel
Liam Kelleher,
Andrew J. Chetwynd,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Henar Margenat,
Iseult Lynch,
Liam Kelleher,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Simeon Onoja,
Holly Nel
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Henar Margenat,
Gregory H. Sambrook Smith,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Henar Margenat,
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Liam Kelleher,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Iseult Lynch,
Stefan Krause,
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Holly Nel
Iseult Lynch,
Holly Nel
Summary
Researchers evaluated the efficacy of Nile red fluorescent staining for quantifying microplastics, demonstrating that polymer-specific differences in fluorescent response create variable detection limits that undermine the comparability and reproducibility of MP quantification across studies. The authors call for standardized reporting of detection limits when using Nile red to improve data quality in microplastic research.
Beyond simple identification of either the presence or absence of microplastic particles in the environment, quantitative accuracy has been criticised as being neither comparable nor reproducible. This is, in part, due to difficulties in the identification of synthetic particles amidst naturally occurring organic and inorganic components. The fluorescent stain Nile red has been proposed as a tool to overcome this issue, but to date, has been used without consideration of polymer specific fluorescent variability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Nile red for microplastic detection by systematically investigating what drives variations in particle pixel brightness (PPB). The results showed that PPB varied between polymer type, shape, size, colour and by staining procedure. Sand, an inorganic component of the sample matrix does not fluoresce when stained with Nile red. In contrast the organic components, wood and chitin, fluoresce between 1.40 and 12 arbitrary units (a.u.) and 32 and 74 a.u. after Nile red staining, respectively. These data informed the use of a PPB threshold limit of 100 a.u., which improved the detection of EPS, HDPE, PP and PA-6 from the 6 polymers tested and reduced analysis time by 30-58% compared to unstained samples. Conversely, as with traditional illumination, PET and PVC were not accurately estimated using this approach. This study shows that picking a threshold limit is not arbitrary but rather must be informed by polymer specific fluorescent variability and matrix considerations. This is an essential step needed to facilitate comparability and reproducibility between individual studies.