A proposed nomenclature for microplastic contaminants

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Microplastics are widespread environmental contaminants with potential ecological impacts.
• Inconsistent reporting methods lead to significant interlaboratory variability in microplastic quantification.
• Current data comparison is hindered by differences in sampling and analytical techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a standardized nomenclature for reporting microplastic abundance.
• To address interlaboratory variability in microplastic quantification.
• To facilitate accurate global assessment of microplastic contamination.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel nomenclature: MPs_c^{a, b}.
• The nomenclature incorporates mesh/filter size (c), density solution (a), and detection limit (b).
• This system aims to standardize data reporting across different studies.

Main Results:

• The proposed nomenclature provides essential details for microplastic abundance.
• It enables direct comparison of data from various investigations.
• It helps mitigate over- or under-estimation of global microplastic levels.

Conclusions:

• The new nomenclature enhances the comparability of microplastic research.
• It will improve the interpretation of meta-data in future microplastic assessments.
• Standardization is crucial for understanding global microplastic contamination accurately.