Nanoplastics and ultrafine microplastic in the Dutch Wadden Sea – The hidden plastics debris?

A novel analytical method using Thermal Desorption - Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry (TD-PTR-MS) has revealed the presence of significant nanoplastics and ultrafine microplastics in the Dutch Wadden Sea. The study detected Polystyrene (PS) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at an average mass concentration of 4.2 μg/L for PS nanoplastics, indicating their substantial contribution to the total plastic budget in this marine ecosystem. This finding underscores the pervasive nature of plastic pollution, even at minute particle sizes that have previously been challenging to quantify.

Materić, D., Holzinger, R., & Niemann, H. (2022). Nanoplastics and ultrafine microplastic in the Dutch Wadden Sea – The hidden plastics debris? Science of the Total Environment, 846, 157371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157371