A method for the detection of plastic particles weighing one trillionth of a gram has been developed

In their work, the researchers used a new technique to analyze snow samples forAvailability as

The method of scientists from McGill University is more sensitive than any current method of tracking plastic in the environment.This allows scientists to detect the most common soluble and insoluble plastics in snow, water, rain, and even soil samples after they have been separated – down to the picogram level (or one trillionth of a gram).It is based on the use of nanostructured mass spectrometry.Unlike other methods currently used, the new method is suitable for the analysis of recycled products and environmentally friendly.

“It is important to be able to detect eventiny amounts of plastic in the environment, emphasizes the study's senior author, female scientist Paris Aria of McGill's Department of Chemistry and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. “While these plastics themselves may be harmless, they collect toxic organic matter and heavy metals from the environment. It damages human cells and organs ”.

"We hope that this new method will be used by scientists in various fields to obtain key information on the amount of micro- and nanoplastics in urban environments in order to better assess their impact on the ecosystem and human health." – First author, Zi Wang, Ph.D. Philosophy.

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Mass spectrometry is a method of research and identification of a substance, which makes it possible to determine the concentration of various components in it.