New Publication: The analytical quest for sub-micron plastics in biological matrices
It was a great experience to collaborate with researchers from several institutions to better understand the state of the art on measuring microplastics in biological matrices. Read more in this new opinion paper.
external pageThe analytical quest for submicron plastics in biological matrices, published in Nano Today, authored by Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh, Martina G. Vijver, Denise M. Mitrano, Heather A. Leslie, Zhiling Guo, Peng Zhang, Iseult Lynch, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg.
The current debate on hazards associated with sub-micron sized plastics is hampered by a lack of quan- titative data on the uptake and biological fate of plastics in organisms. Analytical methods should be de- veloped to identify, characterize, and quantify sub-micron particulate plastic in biota to understand their biological fate in terms of biodistribution, localization, bioaccumulation and clearance. Here we give a perspective on a promising workflow of sample preparation methods and techniques that could enable analysis of sub-micron plastics in biological matrices and discuss their application for biological fate studies of particulate plastic in organisms. We also expect these methods to be largely transferrable to studies considering sub-micron plastics in food, consumer products, human and some environmental compart- ments.