Analysis of Toxic Chemical Substances Adsorbed on Microplastics

Introduction

The possibility that toxic chemical substances adsorbed on microplastics (MPs) in the environment may impact the ecosystem by desorbing from the MPs, migrating to the bodies of living organisms, and concentrating in those organisms has been pointed out. The Shimadzu Group has been involved in evaluations of the adsorption characteristics of chemical substances on MPs as part of analysis of MPs. Here, we introduce an example of an evaluation of the MPs adsorption characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are known to have toxicity and bioaccumulation properties. Using commercially-available particulate polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene (PE) as MPs samples, the amount of adsorption of PAHs and PFAS in water on the various plastics was evaluated quantitatively by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS.

May 15, 2023 GMT