Microplastics

Taking the Lead in Microplastics Testing

As environmental issues have taken the spotlight in recent years, the presence of Microplastics has gathered more and more attention as a potential health hazard. Their accumulation worldwide has led to increasing amounts in not only marine life and nature, but is now highly suspected in humans as well. A study was recently published that claimed Microplastics were found within human blood. Although more research needs to be performed for statements like this to be found as concrete, Eurofins has already taken approaches to address this environmental threat.

What are Microplastics?

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than a half a millimeter across and found in water, air, soil, and have even been detected in icepacks at the North Pole. There is no agreement on the minimum size of a Microplastic, and this definition may be a function of the matrix and the instrumentation used to separate and identify the plastics. Microplastics can occur as primary plastics that are introduced into the environment by industrial spills. However, most Microplastics environmental contamination comes from the mechanical breakdown of plastic products such as pipes, plastic cups and bottles, carpet, and other plastic consumer and industrial products. These are known as secondary microplastics. Studies suggest that some bottled drinking water may even contain miniscule plastic particles introduced by the container and cap.

Hazard to Humans

The environmental concern of Microplastics for humans is the ingestion of chemicals used in their manufacture, or of pollutants that concentrate on the porous surface of the particles. At present, little is known of the toxicity of Microplastics, and effort is ongoing to establish standardized methods for sampling, sample preparation, and analysis.

Eurofins is proud to be one of the first labs to recognize and address the severity of this issue through our Microplastics testing services. Learn more about our global microplastics offering now.