Understanding health effects pathways and thresholds: filling a critical need to support microplastics management

Abstract

Microplastics are pervasive in the aqueous environment, having been reported in air, lakes, ocean, drinking water, sediment, snow, animals, and even humans [1–4]. Since plastic pollution was first documented in the marine environment in the 1970’s [5], production has increased more than 10-fold [6], and inputs into the environment are expected to triple over the next ~ 20 years [7]. Since plastic degrades over extremely long timescales [8] and is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed throughout the food chain from microscopic organisms to humans [9–11], contamination is causing increasing concern for environmental managers. [...]was identifying prevalence of microplastics in the environment and the sources that lead to that contamination, with the first exemplary monitoring in the state conducted in San Francisco Bay [36, 37]. [...]visual microscopy might be used for particles larger than ~ 500 μm, Raman spectroscopy for particles larger than ~ 5 μm and electron microscopy for even smaller particles, each requiring different protocols and encompassing substantial cost differences [35]. [...]some techniques allow for estimation of the total mass of polymers (e.g. pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) without providing detailed information about the particles’ sizes or shapes, while others can quantify particle counts in addition to these other parameters (e.g., Raman and infrared spectroscopy) [52].