Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Efficient and Scalable Detection of Microplastics in Drinking Water Using Fluorescence High‐Content Imaging

Researchers developed a rapid, high-throughput fluorescence imaging method using Nile Red staining and machine learning to detect microplastics in bottled drinking water. They found microplastic concentrations up to 152,000 particles per liter, with over 90% of detected particles in the 1-5 micrometer range that falls below current regulatory thresholds. The findings highlight that existing drinking water regulations focusing on particles larger than 20 micrometers may be missing the vast majority of microplastic contamination.

2025 Small Methods 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative image analysis of microplastics in bottled water following Nile Red staining and fluorescence microscopy

Researchers developed and validated an integrated method for quantifying microplastics in bottled water using Nile Red staining, fluorescent microscopy, and automated image analysis with partial filter interrogation to boost analysis throughput. The method demonstrated high sensitivity for sizing microplastics down to 10 micrometers, with a limit of detection of 1.1 ppb, limit of quantification of 3.4 ppb, linearity between 10 ppb and 1.5 ppm (R2 = 0.99), and repeatability of 11-12% RSD.

2022 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Detecting and Quantifying Microplastics in Bottled Water using Fluorescence Microscopy: A New Experiment for Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry Courses

This educational lab exercise teaches students to detect and count microplastics in bottled water using fluorescence microscopy and Nile Red staining. The exercise demonstrates that bottled water is a real exposure source and builds scientific literacy around microplastic contamination.

2019 Journal of Chemical Education 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic detection and identification by Nile red staining: Towards a semi-automated, cost- and time-effective technique

Researchers developed a semi-automated, cost-effective method for microplastic detection using Nile red fluorescent staining, showing it can significantly reduce the time and expense of identifying microplastics compared to traditional spectroscopic approaches.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics by count, size and morphology in beverage containers using Nile Red and ImageJ

Microplastics in beverage containers were quantified by count, size, and morphology to characterize a potential route of human exposure to these particles. The study found microplastics across beverage container types, providing controlled quantitative data on how many particles consumers may ingest through drinks.

2020 Journal of Water and Health 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Highly efficient Nile red staining for the rapid quantification of microplastic number concentrations using flow cytometry

Scientists developed an improved method for staining microplastics with a fluorescent dye (Nile red) that embeds the dye inside the plastic particles rather than just coating the surface, resulting in much brighter and more reliable detection. Combined with high-speed flow cytometry, the technique can rapidly count microplastic particles smaller than 10 µm in environmental water samples with recovery rates above 99%. Faster and more accurate counting methods like this are important for scaling up microplastic monitoring across many water sources.

2025 Analytical Methods 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and quantification of microplastics using Nile Red staining

Researchers tested Nile Red staining as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, finding it useful for rapid screening but noting limitations in distinguishing plastics from non-plastic particles.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 579 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimizing the Concentration of Nile Red for Screening of Microplastics in Drinking Water

This study optimized the concentration of Nile red fluorescent dye for pre-screening microplastics in drinking water, establishing a protocol that balances detection sensitivity with background fluorescence to improve accuracy in identifying plastic particles.

2023 ACS ES&T Water 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the pollution of bottled water by the microplastics (MPs): the effects of mechanical stress, sunlight exposure, and freezing on MPs release

Researchers analyzed 23 popular Iranian brands of bottled water and found microplastic contamination in all samples, averaging about 1,500 particles per liter with over 90 percent smaller than 10 micrometers. Mechanical stress on bottles significantly increased microplastic release, while sunlight exposure caused the most polymer degradation. The study indicates that regardless of brand or source, bottled water contains hundreds to thousands of microplastic particles per liter.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastics using microfluidic approach

Researchers developed a microfluidic chip-based method using Nile red fluorescent staining to detect and count microplastic particles, offering a faster and less expensive alternative to conventional microscopy and spectroscopy approaches for environmental monitoring.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastics in bottled water, a potential risk to human health

Microplastics were identified in commercial bottled water in Mexico—the world's leading bottled water consumer—using Nile Red staining and hydrogen peroxide oxidation. The study confirmed bottled water as a significant source of human microplastic ingestion, raising health concerns for consumers relying on this water source.

2024 ECORFAN Journal Republic of Paraguay
Article Tier 2

Nile Red staining for nanoplastic quantification: Overcoming the challenge of false positive counts due to fluorescent aggregates

Researchers refined a Nile Red dye-based method to count nanoplastic particles in water by reducing dye concentration to near-nanomolar levels, minimizing false positives from dye aggregates that mimic plastic particles. Using this approach they detected approximately 250 nanoplastics per nanoliter in water from plastic bottles and cartons — roughly ten times more than in tap water.

2023 Environmental Challenges 17 citations
Article Tier 2

A rapid-screening approach to detect and quantify microplastics based on fluorescent tagging with Nile Red

Researchers developed a rapid fluorescent screening method using Nile Red dye to detect and quantify microplastics in environmental samples, finding it significantly faster than conventional methods while maintaining reasonable accuracy.

2017 Scientific Reports 897 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid and reliable detection of microplastics in drinking water using fluorescence microscopy

Researchers developed a fluorescence-based method for rapid detection and quantification of microplastics in drinking water, addressing the need for faster and more practical monitoring tools. The method achieved high sensitivity and allowed polymer discrimination without requiring expensive spectroscopic instrumentation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic as an written composition in bottled water: Implications for waste management

This study characterized microplastic contamination in bottled water, identifying common polymer types and particle sizes and discussing implications for waste management and the effectiveness of current filtration in bottling facilities.

2024 Waste Handling and Environmental Monitoring.
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in bottled water: assessing drinking safety in Nepal

Researchers quantified microplastics in 17 brands of bottled drinking water from five provinces of Nepal using vacuum filtration, finding particles in all brands with concentrations and polymer types suggesting contamination during bottling and from cap materials.

2025 Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development
Article Tier 2

Smaller-sized micro-plastics (MPs) contamination in single-use PET-bottled water in Thailand.

This study quantified microplastics in ten brands of single-use PET-bottled water sold in Thailand, finding an average of 140 particles per liter using fluorescent staining. The results add to global evidence that bottled water is a consistent route of human microplastic exposure and suggest that plastic packaging is a likely contamination source.

2020 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Rapid detection of nanoplastics and small microplastics by Nile-Red staining and flow cytometry

Researchers developed a rapid method for detecting nanoplastics and small microplastics by combining Nile-Red fluorescent staining with flow cytometry. The technique can quantify plastic particles in the 0.6 to 15 micrometer range in just 90 seconds, which is hundreds of times faster than conventional spectroscopic methods. The approach showed high detection efficiency for polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, and polystyrene, offering a practical tool for environmental nanoplastic monitoring.

2022 Environmental Chemistry Letters 65 citations
Article Tier 2

What's in your water? A comparative analysis of micro- and nanoplastics in treated drinking water and bottled water

Researchers developed a novel method to detect both micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water using scanning electron microscopy and advanced infrared spectroscopy capable of identifying particles as small as 300 nanometers. The study found that bottled water had significantly higher concentrations of plastic particles than treated tap water, particularly for smaller micro- and nanoplastics, with polyamide, PET, and polyethylene being the most common polymers.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of microplastics and their characterization in bottled drinking water from a developing country

Scientists in a developing country analyzed 10 brands of bottled drinking water and found microplastics in all samples, with concentrations varying by brand. The most common particles were polyethylene and polypropylene fragments and fibers, likely originating from the plastic bottle caps and packaging. This study adds to evidence that bottled water is a significant source of daily microplastic intake for people worldwide.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of nano-plastics in bottled drinking water.

Researchers detected nanoplastics in commercially bottled drinking water using novel nanoparticle analysis techniques, finding particles in the nanometer size range in multiple brands. These findings are concerning because nanoplastics are thought to be more biologically active than larger microplastics and can more easily cross biological barriers in the body.

2022 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Nile Red Staining as a Subsidiary Method for Microplastic Quantifica-tion: A Comparison of Three Solvents and Factors Influencing Application Reliability

This study evaluated Nile Red fluorescent staining as a method for quantifying microplastics in environmental samples, comparing it to traditional identification techniques. The approach can help distinguish microplastics from organic particles more quickly and cost-effectively, supporting higher-throughput microplastic analysis in environmental monitoring programs.

2017 SDRP Journal of Earth Sciences & Environmental Studies 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Identifying microplastic contamination in drinking water: analysis and evaluation using spectroscopic methods

Researchers developed analytical methods to identify and quantify microplastic contamination in drinking water, evaluating extraction efficiency and detection accuracy across different water types and plastic particle sizes. The study assessed health implications based on measured plastic loads in treated water.

2024 Interdisciplinary Environmental Review
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic sizes and numbers: quantification by single particle tracking

A sensitive fluorescence video microscopy method combining Nile Red staining with single particle tracking was developed to count and size nanoplastic particles in water. The technique enables quantification of plastic nanoparticles without expensive specialized equipment, making nanoplastic monitoring more accessible.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 54 citations