Microplastics
Plastic is such a versatile and prolific material that we cannot imagine daily life without it. Disposal and recycling pathways have been overlooked and a great proportion of plastic waste is released into the environment where it degrades into Microplastics.
Microplastics pose significant ecological and health concerns due to their environmental persistence. They are known to impact wildlife, water quality, and even human health through the accumulation of toxic chemicals and the transport of pathogens.
Only in 2020, Microplastics in Drinking water have been defined for the first time in legislation by the State Water Resources Control Board for potable water as “solid polymeric materials to which chemical additives or other substances may have been added, which are particles which have at least three dimensions that are greater than 1 nm and less than 5,000 micrometres (µm). Polymers that are derived in nature that have not been chemically modified (other than by hydrolysis) are excluded."
The analysis of Microplastics is particularly challenging as it is a new field of analysis and there are currently limited standard methods. The lack of widely accepted methods and lack of data on microplastics makes it a complex but important issue to address. Presently, three analysis techniques are being deployed: Microscopy, Spectroscopy (RAMAN/FTIR/LDIR), and Thermal Analysis (Pyrolysis or Thermal Desorption GC-MS), each with their own capabilities and advantages.
Our Capabilities
In 2019, Eurofins Environment Testing opened its first Microplastic laboratory in Melbourne. Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging is utilised to enumerate, chemically analyse, and size the Microplastic particles between 20 and 5000 µm. Since late 2023 the laboratory holds NATA ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation for its Potable Water matrix, making it the first ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited microplastics testing facility in Australia.
The LDIR instrument has the same measuring principle to the more widely used FTIR. Currently, the most common plastics are analysed including Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polycarbonate (PC), Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), Polyurethane (PU) and Polyamide (PA) in sample types as: Potable Water (ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accredited), Environmental Samples (surface water, groundwater, wastewater, sewage, sand, sediment, soil, biosolids, dust & air), Biota Samples (oysters, mussels, fish), Food & Beverage Samples (tea bags, salt, bottled water, infant formula) and Consumer Product Samples (face wash, eye drops) (see Example Report).
The laboratory has also participated in three global interlaboratory comparison studies (JRC, SCCWRP and EUROqCHARM) and has been awarded the ALGA Industry Excellence Award in 2022 for Innovation that has Advanced the Practice of Contaminated Site Assessment, Management and/or Remediation.
Within the Eurofins network we can also provide Microplastic analysis by Pyrolysis GC-MS and RAMAN Spectroscopy.
Leading the way in Microplastics Analysis
Our methodology has been used in multiple peer reviewed papers which can be found here:
- Ziajahromi, S., Slynkova, N., Dwyer, J., Griffith, M., Fernandes, M., Jaeger, J.E., Leusch, F.D.L., (2024), ‘Comprehensive assessment of microplastics in Australian biosolids: Abundance, seasonal variation and potential transport to agroecosystems’. Water Research, 250, 121071.
- Ghanadi, M., Joshi, I., Dharmasiri, N., Jaeger, J. E., Burke, M., Bebelman, C., Symons, B., Padhye, L. P, (2023), ‘Quantification and characterization of microplastics in coastal Environments’. Science of The Total Environment, 912, 168835.
- Wu, D.; Lim, B.X.H.; Seah, I.; Xie, S.; Jaeger, J.E.; Symons, R.K.; Heffernan, A.L.; Curren, E.E.M.; Leong, S.C.Y.; Riau, A.K.; et al. (2023), ‘Impact of Microplastics on the Ocular Surface’. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 3928.
- Samandra, S., Singh, J., Plaisted, K., Mescall, O. J., Symons, B., Xie, S., Ellis, A. V., Clarke, B. O. (2023), ‘Quantifying environmental emissions of microplastics from urban rivers in Melbourne, Australia’. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 189, 114709.
- Kotar, S., McNeish, R., Murphy-Hagan, C., Renick, V., Lee, C., Steele, C., Lusher, A., Moore, C., Minorj, E., Schroeder, J., Helm, P., Rickabaugh, K., De Frond, H., Gesulga, K., Lao, W., Munno, K., Thornton Hampton, L., Weisberg, S., Wong, C., Amarpuri, G., Andrews, R., Steven, M., Barnett S., Christiansen S., Cowgeri, W., Crampond, K., Du, F., Gray, A., Hankett, J., Ho, K., Jaeger, J., Lilley, C., Mai, L., Mina, O., Lee E., Primpke, S., Singh, S., Skovly, J., Slifko, T., Sukumaran, S, van Bavel, B., Van Brocklin, J., Vollnhalss, F., Wu, C., Rochman, C., (2022), 'Quantitative assessment of visual microscopy as a tool for microplastic research: Recommendations for improving methods and reporting'. Chemosphere, 308 (3), 136449.
- Samandra, S., Mescall, O. J., Plaisted, K., Symons, B., Xie, S., Ellis, A. V., Clarke, B. O. (2023), ‘Assessing exposure of the Australian population to microplastics through bottled water consumption’. Science of The Total Environment, 837, 155329.
- Samandra, S., Johnston, J., Jaeger, J., Symons, B. Xie, S., Currell, M., Ellis, A., Clarke, B. (2021). 'Microplastic contamination of an unconfined groundwater aquifer in Victoria, Australia'. Science of The Total Environment. 802: 149727.
