Seeking for a perfect (non-spherical) microplastic particle – The most comprehensive review on microplastic laboratory research

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 424; no. Pt C; p. 127529
• Main Authors: Rozman, Ula, Kalčíková, Gabriela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15-02-2022
• Subjects: Aging; Ecotoxicity; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution; Laboratory study; Leachate; Microplastics; Plastics; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Aging; Laboratory study; Microplastics; Leachate; Ecotoxicity
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127529

In recent decades, much attention has been paid to microplastic pollution, and research on microplastics has begun to grow exponentially. However, microplastics research still suffers from the lack of standardized protocols and methods for investigation of microplastics under laboratory conditions. Therefore, in this review, we summarize and critically discuss the results of 715 laboratory studies published on microplastics in the last five years to provide recommendations for future laboratory research. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of microplastic particles used in laboratory studies are manufactured spheres of polystyrene ranging in size from 1 to 50 µm, that half of the studies did not characterize the particles used, and that a minority of studies used aged particles, investigated leaching of chemicals from microplastics, or used natural particles as a control. There is a large discrepancy between microplastics used in laboratory research and those found in the environment, and many laboratory studies suffer from a lack of environmental relevance and provide incomplete information on the microplastics used. We have summarized and discussed these issues and provided recommendations for future laboratory research on microplastics focusing on (i) microplastic selection, (ii) microplastic characterization, and (iii) test design of laboratory research on microplastics.
[Display omitted]
•Ecotoxicity, adsorption and aging of microplastics are the most studied aspects.•The majority of microplastics in laboratory studies lack environmental relevance.•Leachate and natural particles (control) were used in a minority of studies.•There is an urgent need for a guideline of laboratory microplastic research.