Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Methodological similarities and discrepancies among studies on microplastics in South American continental aquatic environments

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 57 studies on microplastic pollution in South American continental aquatic environments, identifying significant methodological discrepancies in sampling, detection limits, and sample preparation that limit cross-study comparability and proposing standardization approaches.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic content in natural waters and sediments: sampling and sample preparation

Researchers reviewed and evaluated sampling and analytical methods for measuring microplastic content in natural waters and sediments, assessing sources of error and variability in current approaches. The review recommended a standardized protocol to improve cross-study comparability.

2024 Журнал аналитической химии
Article Tier 2

Metodologia de extração de microplásticos associados a sedimentos de ambientes de água doce

This Brazilian study (in Portuguese) evaluated methods for extracting microplastics from aquatic sediment samples, comparing different protocols to improve analytical accuracy. Standardized extraction methods are essential for producing comparable microplastic data across different studies and regions.

2021 Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Disparities in Methods Used to Determine Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment: A Review of Legislation, Sampling Process and Instrumental Analysis

This review examined the wide disparities in sampling, processing, and analytical methods used across microplastic studies, highlighting how inconsistent approaches make it difficult to compare results and calling for standardized international protocols and regulatory frameworks.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos: Presencia y diseminación en el medio ambiente

This Spanish-language review examines the current state of microplastic research, covering characterization methods, their presence in water, soil, and air, impacts on food webs and human health, and strategies needed to address this global environmental challenge.

2023 Investigación y Ciencia de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics characterisation in aquatic environments: recent trends in the last 10 years

This critical review assessed current approaches to characterizing microplastics in aquatic environments, evaluating sampling methods, extraction protocols, and analytical techniques. It identified persistent inconsistencies in methodology and recommended standardization practices to improve data comparability.

2024 Analytical Methods 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of the Microplastics Content in Natural Waters and Sediments: Sampling and Sample Preparation

This review examines the challenges of sampling and preparing water and sediment samples for microplastic analysis, highlighting the lack of standardized methods. Researchers found that differences in collection techniques, sample volumes, and processing steps make it difficult to compare results across studies. The study calls for an internationally agreed-upon analytical framework to improve the reliability and consistency of microplastic monitoring worldwide.

2024 Journal of Analytical Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro y nanoplásticos en mares y océanos

This Spanish-language review synthesizes current knowledge on micro- and nanoplastics in marine environments, covering definitions, sources, detection methods, ingestion by organisms, toxicity, habitat disruption, and species introduction, while highlighting the lack of standardized methodologies that hampers cross-study comparisons.

2023 Vínculos Sociología análisis y opinión
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: A Review of Methodology for Sampling and Characterizing Environmental and Biological Samples

This review examines the range of methodologies available for sampling and characterising environmental microplastics, highlighting how variability in collection, separation, detection, and identification procedures limits cross-study comparisons and discussing how complementary technique combinations can improve standardisation and data quality.

2021 Methods in molecular biology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for Studying Microplastic Pollution in Natural Waters: Current State and Recommendations

This methodological review addresses the lack of standardization in how scientists sample, process, and report microplastic contamination in natural waters, which makes it nearly impossible to compare results across studies. It details quality assurance and quality control steps — especially important given how easily tiny plastic particles contaminate samples from the lab environment itself — and provides concrete recommendations for sampling protocols and data reporting. Harmonizing these methods is a critical step toward building a reliable global database of microplastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Oceanological Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of methods for measuring microplastics in aquatic environments

This review critically evaluates methods used to measure microplastics in aquatic environments, covering sampling design, sample processing, and spectroscopic identification, and identifies the most significant sources of methodological variation. Standardizing these methods is essential for generating comparable data across studies and enabling robust environmental risk assessment.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 361 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Detection and Analysis from Water and Sediment: A Review

This review summarized current methods for detecting and analyzing microplastics in water and sediment samples, covering sampling techniques, extraction procedures, identification technologies, and quality control measures needed for reliable microplastic quantification.

2023 Macromolecular Symposia 11 citations
Article Tier 2

A systematic protocol of microplastics analysis from their identification to quantification in water environment: A comprehensive review

This review provides a systematic protocol for identifying and quantifying microplastics in water environments, covering sampling, extraction, and analytical techniques. Researchers evaluate the strengths and limitations of methods including visual sorting, spectroscopic analysis, and thermal techniques for characterizing microplastic pollution. The study emphasizes the urgent need for standardized methodologies to enable meaningful comparisons across different microplastic research studies.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for sampling, processing, identification,and quantification of microplastics in the marine environment

This paper reviews and compares the various methods used to collect, process, identify, and quantify microplastics across different environmental samples. It highlights the lack of standardized protocols as a major obstacle to comparing results across studies and calls for methodological harmonization.

2020 Oceanography in Japan 12 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in sediments: A systematic review structured through reproducible analytical pipelines

This systematic review of 37 studies finds that microplastic research in sediments suffers from major differences in how samples are collected and analyzed. Without standardized methods, it is difficult to compare contamination levels across locations, which limits our ability to assess how much microplastic in soil and waterbed sediments might affect ecosystems and human health.

2026 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?

This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.

2017 Environmental Management 277 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Are research methods shaping our understanding of microplastic pollution? A literature review on the seawater and sediment bodies of the Mediterranean Sea

This systematic review examines microplastic research methods used to study pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. The researchers found that inconsistent methods across studies make it difficult to compare results and understand the true scale of contamination. Standardizing how we measure microplastics is essential for accurately assessing the risks these particles pose to marine ecosystems and the humans who depend on them.

2021 Environmental Pollution 70 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics measuring methods in water and wastewater bodies

This review covers the wide variety of methods used to measure microplastics in water and wastewater, comparing their advantages and limitations. The authors note that lack of standardized methods makes it difficult to compare results across studies and call for international consensus on measurement protocols.

2021 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

A Review of Analytical Methods Used in Microplastics Quantification

This review evaluates the various analytical methods used to detect and quantify microplastics in the environment, highlighting inconsistencies in sampling and analysis across studies. Standardizing methods is a critical priority for the field, as inconsistent approaches make it difficult to compare results and track pollution trends over time.

2021 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutions du milieu littoral par les microplastiques : Méthodes d’évaluation

This French review evaluated analytical methods for assessing microplastic pollution in coastal and marine environments, comparing different sampling, extraction, and characterization techniques. The review serves as a technical guide for researchers and monitoring programs seeking to measure microplastic contamination consistently and accurately.

2017 ZooKeys
Article Tier 2

Methodological approaches to the monitoring of microplastics in France

Researchers reviewed the methods used to monitor microplastics in France, highlighting the different approaches adopted across water, sediment, and biological samples and the need for standardized protocols to improve comparability of results across studies.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

A critical view on microplastic quantification in aquatic organisms

Researchers critically reviewed the methods used to quantify microplastics in aquatic organisms including zooplankton, bivalves, and fish. The study highlights that no standardized methodology exists for measuring microplastic contamination in biota, which makes comparing results across studies difficult and underscores the need for consistent analytical protocols.

2015 Environmental Research 463 citations
Article Tier 2

Techniques for Collecting Micro Plastics in Freshwaters and Sediments

This review examined sampling methods used across 150 studies on microplastics in freshwater bodies and sediments, finding significant variation in sampling tools, mesh sizes, and analytical approaches that make it difficult to compare results across studies. Standardizing sampling and analysis protocols is one of the most pressing needs in microplastic research. Without comparable methods, it is difficult to assess the true extent of freshwater microplastic contamination globally.

2021 Journal of Marine Biology & Oceanography
Article Tier 2

Recommended best practices for collecting, analyzing, and reporting microplastics in environmental media: Lessons learned from comprehensive monitoring of San Francisco Bay

Researchers developed and tested standardized methods for collecting, analyzing, and reporting microplastics during a comprehensive monitoring study of San Francisco Bay. They identified best practices for sampling across water, sediment, and fish tissue, and highlighted how methodological differences can lead to incomparable results between studies. The study provides a practical framework that other monitoring programs can adopt to improve the consistency and reliability of microplastic data.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 183 citations