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Micro- and Nano-plastic Extraction and Identification at the US Environmental Protection Agency
Citation:
Ho, K., T. Langknecht, S. Robinson, J. Gundersen, AND R. Burgess. Micro- and Nano-plastic Extraction and Identification at the US Environmental Protection Agency. The 12th Annual Global Summit on Regulatory Science, NA, SINGAPORE, October 19 - 21, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
The Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS) is an international conference for discussion of innovative technologies and partnerships to enhance translation of basic science into regulatory applications within the global context. The conference provides an opportunity for scientists from government, industry, and academic-research communities to objectively assess the utility of emerging technologies. This presentation reaches an international, Asian- Pacific based audience. Many of these countries are island nations or have large coastlines that are heavily impacted by plastics and microplastics. This presentation give the USEPA an opportunity to present and receive feedback on research for micro and nanoplastic methodology.
Description:
Microplastics (MP), plastic particles 5 mm - 1 nm in size are ubiquitous and increasing in abundance in the environment. Accurate identification and quantification of MPs are the first steps in understanding the fate, transport and effects of these particles. Their varied composition and broad size range render them challenging to extract and identify in complex environmental matrices like seawater, sediments and tissues. Research to standardize and create guidelines for effective and efficient methods are ongoing in several laboratories globally. The U.S. EPA has focused on extraction and identification of MP in sediment and water matrices over the past three years. Comparison of existing extraction methods found in the scientific literature allowed us to develop and optimize guidance for effective extraction and identification. Of the many methodological variables affecting the accurate measurement of MPs, the importance of appropriate laboratory and collection blanks, and the use of standard reference materials to determine recovery rates are critical to assess method effectiveness. The U.S. EPA also participated in the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project’s international round robin to establish effective MP measurement practices in environmental matrices including drinking water, surface water, sediment and fish tissue. Despite current research on-going globally, the detection of nanoplastics in the environment remains a challenge. A number of methods have been proposed, yet methods that are fast, accurate, reproducible and appropriate for monitoring nanoplastics in environmental matrices remain elusive.
URLs/Downloads:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/12th-annual-global-summit-regulatory-science-10192022