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  4. Quantitative assessment of visual microscopy as a tool for microplastic research: Recommendations for improving methods and reporting
 
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2022
Journal Article
Title

Quantitative assessment of visual microscopy as a tool for microplastic research: Recommendations for improving methods and reporting

Abstract
Microscopy is often the first step in microplastic analysis and is generally followed by spectroscopy to confirm material type. The value of microscopy lies in its ability to provide count, size, color, and morphological information to inform toxicity and source apportionment. To assess the accuracy and precision of microscopy, we conducted a method evaluation study. Twenty-two laboratories from six countries were provided three blind spiked clean water samples and asked to follow a standard operating procedure. The samples contained a known number of microplastics with different morphologies (fiber, fragment, sphere), colors (clear, white, green, blue, red, and orange), polymer types (PE, PS, PVC, and PET), and sizes (ranging from roughly 3-2000 μm), and natural materials (natural hair, fibers, and shells; 100-7000 μm) that could be mistaken for microplastics (i.e., false positives). Particle recovery was poor for the smallest size fraction (3-20 μm). Average recovery (±StDev) for all reported particles >50 μm was 94.5 ± 56.3%. After quality checks, recovery for >50 μm spiked particles was 51.3 ± 21.7%. Recovery varied based on morphology and color, with poorest recovery for fibers and the largest deviations for clear and white particles. Experience mattered; less experienced laboratories tended to report higher concentration and had a higher variance among replicates. Participants identified opportunity for increased accuracy and precision through training, improved color and morphology keys, and method alterations relevant to size fractionation. The resulting data informs future work, constraining and highlighting the value of microscopy for microplastics.
Author(s)
Kotar, Syd
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
McNeish, Rae
California State University -CSU-  
Murphy-Hagan, Clare
University of California-Riverside
Renick, Violet
Orange County Sanitation District
Lee, Chih-Fen T.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Steele, Clare
California State University -CSU-  
Lusher, Amy
Moore, Charles
The Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research
Minor, Elizabeth
Univ. of Minnesota Duluth
Schroeder, Joseph
Univ. of Minnesota Duluth
Helm, Paul
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Rickabaugh, Keith
RJ Lee Group
Frond, Hannah de
Univ. of Toronto  
Gesulga, Kristine
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority
Lao, Wenjian
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority
Munno, Keenan
Univ. of Toronto  
Thornton Hampton, Leah M.
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority
Weisberg, Stephen B.
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority
Wong, Charles
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority
Amarpuri, Gaurav
Eastman Chemical Company
Andrews, Robert C.
Univ. of Toronto  
Barnett, Steven M.
Barnett Technical Services
Christiansen, Silke  
Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS  
Cowger, Win
The Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research
Crampond, Kévin
University of Québec  
Du, Fangni
East China Normal University
Gray, Andrew
Univ. of California-Riverside
Hankett, Jeanne
BASF Corporation
Ho, Kay
US Environmental Protection Agency
Jaeger, Julia
Eurofins Environment Testing Australia
Lilley, Claire
Eurofins SF Analytical Laboratories
Mai, Lei
Jinan University
Mina, Odette
Pennsylvania State University  
Lee, Eunah
Horiba Instruments
Primpke, Sebastian
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI)
Singh, Samiksha
Univ. of California-Riverside
Skovly, Joakim
Eurofins Environmental Testing Norway AS
Slifko, Theresa
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Sukumaran, Suja
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Bavel, Bert van
Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Brocklin, Jennifer van
Oregon State University, Corvallis/Or.  
Vollnhals, Florian
INAM, Forchheim
Wu, Chenxi
Chinese Academy of Sciences  
Rochman, Chelsea M.
Univ. of Toronto  
Journal
Chemosphere  
DOI
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136449
Language
English
Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS  
Keyword(s)
  • Accuracy

  • Color

  • Experience

  • Morphology

  • Recovery

  • Size

  • Standardized methods

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