Publication details
Is LA-ICP-MS the next frontier in monitoring and imaging microplastics in biological tissues?
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The extensive release of plastic debris into the environment presents a formidable challenge for the forthcoming decades, particularly in the tracing and quantification of microplastics (MPs) across various environmental matrices and within biological organisms. Microplastic pollution sources are diverse, encompassing seafood, food additives, packaging materials, and agricultural and industrial products. Despite the recent detection of MPs in numerous environmental media and living organisms, the pathways of transfer and the toxicological effects on humans are not yet fully elucidated. There is growing evidence that microplastics can have detrimental impacts on human health and the environment, potentially entering the human body via contaminated food or packaging materials. [1] Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) offers a promising analytical approach for detecting marker metals in polymers [2] and identifying polymer alterations. [3] However, the direct application of LA-ICP-MS for the detection of MPs has been relatively limited, primarily focusing on the monitoring of trace metals adsorbed on MPs. [4] This study aims to advance the detection and imaging of MPs in biological tissues, thereby opening new avenues for tracking the presence of MPs in the human body and assessing their potential impacts on human health. This research underscores the critical need to understand the interactions between microplastics and biological systems to mitigate potential health risks. |
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