Standardized collection method developed for measuring microplastics in ambient water

SCCWRP and its partners have developed standardized methods for collecting samples from ambient water bodies in preparation for measuring their microplastics content – the third in a series of microplastic collection methods to be standardized to facilitate generation of high-quality, microplastics data statewide.

The ambient water collection methods, completed in July and expected to be published in August, include both a net-based method and a pump sampling method; the methods incorporate quality control measures to minimize the risk of environmental contamination.

Standardized collection methods already have been developed for sampling microplastics in sediment and aquatic life. The fourth and final matrix to be standardized – stormwater – is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Meanwhile, the laboratory processing and analysis methods used to measure microplastics content in environmental samples already have been standardized via the SCCWRP-facilitated Microplastics Method Evaluation Study, summarized in a 2024 special journal issue.

In the absence of standardized methods, researchers have historically been forced to assign a high degree of uncertainty to microplastics data generated via various sample collection and analysis methods.