Analytical methodologies used for screening micro(nano)plastics in (eco)toxicity tests

Abstract

Micro(nano)plastics accumulate in natural environments worldwide, threatening biota, ecosystem functions, and services. In the last decade, there has been a substantial increase in the number of ecotoxicity studies to address the potential effects of micro(nano)plastics, including their plasticisers and adsorbed hazardous substances. Their environmental relevance has been under scrutiny due to the non-environmentally relevant testing conditions besides the lack of a proper characterization of the particles under study (e.g., size range, surface properties, crystallinity, chemical composition, including additives compounds), thus compromising the significance of the risk assessment and management strategies. This paper reviews the analytical methodologies applied in ecotoxicity tests for identifying, quantifying, and eventual characterising micro(nano)plastics before, during (monitoring), and after exposure, addressing their advantages and limitations. It also discusses emerging and cost-efficient methodologies that may speed up the detection and quantification of micro(nano)plastics and motivate their characterization for a deeper understanding of the underlying (eco)toxicity mechanisms.