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Lost, but Found with Nile Red: A Novel Method for Detecting and Quantifying Small Microplastics (1 mm to 20 μm) in Environmental Samples
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Researchers developed a new high-throughput method using the fluorescent dye Nile Red to detect and count small microplastic particles between 20 and 1000 micrometers in size. When tested on ocean surface samples, the method revealed a dramatic increase in particle numbers at smaller sizes, following a predictable mathematical pattern. The findings help explain the apparent disappearance of small microplastics from surface waters and suggest previous surveys significantly undercounted them.
Marine plastic debris is a global environmental problem. Surveys have shown that <5 mm plastic particles, known as microplastics, are significantly more abundant in surface seawater and on shorelines than larger plastic particles are. Nevertheless, quantification of microplastics in the environment is hampered by a lack of adequate high-throughput methods for distinguishing and quantifying smaller size fractions (<1 mm), and this has probably resulted in an underestimation of actual microplastic concentrations. Here we present a protocol that allows high-throughput detection and automated quantification of small microplastic particles (20-1000 μm) using the dye Nile red, fluorescence microscopy, and image analysis software. This protocol has proven to be highly effective in the quantification of small polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and nylon-6 particles, which frequently occur in the water column. Our preliminary results from sea surface tows show a power-law increase in small microplastics (i.e., <1 mm) with a decreasing particle size. Hence, our data help to resolve speculation about the "apparent" loss of this fraction from surface waters. We consider that this method presents a step change in the ability to detect small microplastics by substituting the subjectivity of human visual sorting with a sensitive and semiautomated procedure.
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Researchers evaluated the Nile red fluorescent dye method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in ocean water samples, assessing its effectiveness compared to other analytical techniques. The method shows promise as a faster, lower-cost approach to large-scale microplastic monitoring.
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