Researchers make game-changing breakthrough in fight against hidden health risk lurking in air and water: 'Highly accurate and affordable'
A team of researchers at McGill University has developed an innovative and affordable way to detect microplastics and nanoplastics in air and water.
The technique, called HoLDI-MS (short for hollow-laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry), was recently profiled in a study published in the Nature journal Communications Chemistry. It allows scientists to detect even the tiniest plastic particles without needing a bunch of complicated lab prep. It's designed to work on samples taken from both indoor and outdoor environments, including water, soil, and air.
"With HoLDI, we provide a method that is effective, quantitative, highly accurate, and affordable, making it accessible to researchers worldwide," chemistry professor and lead author Parisa Ariya said. "It requires little energy, is recyclable and costs only a few dollars per sample."
Plastic pollution, especially once it breaks down into microplastics, is notoriously hard to detect, but it's everywhere. These tiny particles can be inhaled or ingested by people, and research has linked them to a range of long-term health concerns, including higher risks for cancer, respiratory problems, and cardiovascular diseases.
Microplastics in the environment also pose threats across entire ecosystems, harming soil health, water quality, food webs, and wildlife.
"Until now, there have been no established universal protocols for nanoplastic detection within the complex environment," Ariya said. The new platform changes that, allowing scientists around the world to analyze samples with consistent, comparable results.
As part of the study, researchers identified particles including polyethylene and polydimethylsiloxanes in indoor air and outdoor contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The U.N. Environment Programme has been calling for better monitoring tools to help address the global plastic crisis, and this innovation is a major step forward.
The discovery follows other promising breakthroughs in the fight against plastic, including the University of British Columbia's portable detection tool and remote technology for detecting plastic in waterways. You can join the fight against plastic pollution by using less plastic, educating yourself on how to recycle, and supporting brands with plastic-free packaging.
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