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Low‐cost microplastic visualization in feeding experiments using an ultraviolet light‐emitting flashlight

Ecological Research 2020 52 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 45 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Jan Maxein, Sonja M. Ehlers, Jan Maxein, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Jochen H. E. Koop Sonja M. Ehlers, Jochen H. E. Koop Sonja M. Ehlers, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Sonja M. Ehlers, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop, Jochen H. E. Koop

Summary

Researchers demonstrated a low-cost method using UV flashlights to visualize fluorescent-dyed microplastics during feeding experiments, making it easier to track whether aquatic organisms ingest plastic particles without expensive laboratory equipment. This accessible technique could help more researchers study microplastic ingestion across diverse species.

Study Type Environmental

Abstract Microplastics are pollutants threatening the health of marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms. To analyze whether an organism is able to ingest microplastics, the organism is usually fed with expensive fluorescent microbeads and placed under a fluorescence microscope for microplastic detection. However, such equipment cannot be afforded by many laboratories. Therefore, we developed a low‐cost method to study the ingestion and egestion of low‐cost, fluorescent microplastic fragments and fibers by aquatic invertebrates. During our feeding experiments, we exposed the freshwater snail Radix balthica to artificial biofilms containing 15% microplastic fragments and fibers, respectively. We then used an ultraviolet (UV) flashlight to irradiate the microplastics. Hence, we could directly observe the microplastics in the food, during ingestion and egestion as well as in the snail feces. Our method, thereby, allowed us to analyze the snails' behavior (during ingestion and egestion), the microplastics' distribution in the snail feces and the microplastics' shape after the snails' digestion. Furthermore, we observed that the snails ceased to egest microplastics after 76 hr following microplastic ingestion. However, chemical digestion of the snails 6 days after microplastic exposure revealed that microplastics were still present in R. balthica , emphasizing the microplastics' persistence in the animals' bodies. This is the first study combining the usage of low‐cost fluorescent microplastics with an inexpensive UV flashlight for microplastic detection during microplastic ingestion and egestion by living organisms. Our new method is not only cost‐effective, but also fast and can be performed by a wide range of researchers without special previous training.

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