Publication details
ENHANCING MICROPLASTIC DETECTION IN BIOLOGICAL MATRICES USING LA-ICP-MS & CT
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The pervasive disposal of plastic waste into the environment presents a substantial challenge for the coming decades, particularly concerning the monitoring and quantification of microplastics (MPs) across various environmental matrices and within living organisms. Despite the recent detection of MPs in a broad spectrum of environmental media and biota, their dispersion mechanisms and toxicological impacts on humans remain inadequately understood. [1] Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) holds significant promise for identifying polymer alterations [2] and metal markers [3]. However, its direct application in detecting MPs has been limited to tracking trace metals adsorbed on MPs [4]. By enhancing the detectability and imaging of MPs in biological tissues, this research aims to open new pathways for monitoring MPs throughout the human body and assessing potential health effects. Additionally, integrating element-specific imaging from LA-ICP-MS provide the "golden analytical standard" for µCT volumetry to precisely characterize the distribution of MPs within the organ systems. This talk focuses on imaging two sizes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MPs, artificially introduced into homogenized rat liver tissue, whole heart, and brain to simulate MPs accumulation. |
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