Micro- and nanoplastics are in our food, water and the air we breathe. They’re showing up in our bodies, from testicles to brain matter.
Now, University of British Columbia researchers have developed a low-cost, portable tool to accurately measure plastic released from on a regular basis sources like disposable cups and water bottles.
The device, paired with an app, uses fluorescent labeling to detect plastic particles starting from 50 nanometres to 10 microns in size — too small to be detected by the naked eye — and delivers ends in minutes.
The strategy and findings are detailed in ACS Sensors.
“The breakdown of larger plastic pieces into microplastics and nanoplastics presents significant threats to food systems, ecosystems, and human health,” said Dr. Tianxi Yang, an assistant professor in the school of land and food systems, who developed the tool. “This recent technique allows quick, low-cost detection of those plastics, which could help protect our health and ecosystems.”
Nano and microplastics are byproducts of degrading plastic materials akin to lunchboxes, cups and utensils. As very small particles with a big surface area, nanoplastics are particularly concerning to human health as a result of their increased ability to soak up toxins and penetrate biological barriers inside the human body.
Detecting these plastics typically requires expert personnel and expensive equipment. Dr. Yang’s team desired to make detection faster, more accessible and more reliable.
They created a small, biodegradable, 3D-printed box containing a wireless digital microscope, green LED light and an excitation filter. To measure the plastics, they customized MATLAB software with machine-learning algorithms and combined it with image capture software.
The result’s a transportable tool that works with a smartphone or other mobile device to disclose the variety of plastic particles in a sample. The tool only needs a tiny liquid sample — lower than a drop of water — and makes the plastic particles glow under the green LED light within the microscope to visualise and measure them. The outcomes are easy to know, whether by a technician in a food processing lab or simply someone interested by their morning cup of coffee.
For the study, Dr. Yang’s team tested disposable polystyrene cups. They filled the cups with 50 mL of distilled, boiling water and let it cool for half-hour. The outcomes showed that the cups released a whole lot of thousands and thousands of nano-sized plastic particles, roughly one-hundredth the width of a human hair and smaller.
“Once the microscope within the box captures the fluorescent image, the app matches the image’s pixel area with the variety of plastics,” said co-author Haoming (Peter) Yang, a master’s student in the school of land and food systems. “The readout shows if plastics are present and the way much. Each test costs only one.5 cents.”
The tool is currently calibrated to measure polystyrene, however the machine-learning algorithm may very well be tweaked to measure several types of plastics like polyethylene or polypropylene. Next, the researchers aim to commercialize the device to investigate plastic particles for other real-world applications.
The long-term impacts of ingesting plastic from beverages, food, and even from airborne plastic particles are still being studied but show cause for concern.
“To cut back plastic ingestion, it is necessary to contemplate avoiding petroleum-based plastic products by choosing alternatives like glass or chrome steel for food containers. The event of biodegradable packaging materials can be necessary for replacing traditional plastics and moving towards a more sustainable world,” said Dr. Yang.
