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Published on: July 28, 2018
Standardizing microplastics used for establishing recovery efficiency when assessing microplastics in environmental
Tiefeng Cui1, Wenzhuo Shi2, Hongwei Wang3
1School of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Institute of Life Sciences and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
Microplastic contamination studies lack comparable data due to varied methods. Standardized testing of microplastic recovery efficiency is crucial for accurate global assessments of these environmental contaminants.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Microplastic contamination is a growing global concern, with increasing reports on its distribution and abundance.
- Variations in sampling and analytical methods hinder data comparability and global assessments of microplastics.
- Recovery efficiency determination is a key factor causing inconsistencies in microplastic research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the variability in microplastic recovery efficiency across different studies.
- To identify factors contributing to the lack of comparability in microplastic contamination data.
- To propose standardized methods for improving microplastic analysis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of recovery efficiency in microplastic studies published in 2020.
- Evaluation of the impact of microplastic density, size, and shape on recovery efficiency.
- Assessment of recovery efficiency using environmental microplastic mixtures.
Main Results:
- Significant variability was observed in microplastic recovery efficiency among studies.
- The density and size of microplastics used in recovery efficiency tests varied considerably.
- Established recovery efficiencies may not accurately reflect real-world environmental samples containing microplastic mixtures.
Conclusions:
- Standardized microplastic analysis is essential for reliable global contamination assessments.
- Recommend using microplastic standards with diverse polymer types, densities, shapes, and sizes near detection limits.
- Simultaneous testing of these standards will enhance data comparability and global distribution assessments.
