Raman microspectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the analysis of polyethylene microplastics in human soft tissues

Parobková, Viktória (author), Holub, Daniel (author), Kizovský, Martin (author), Kalčíková, Gabriela (author), Putar, Ula (author), Urík, Milan (author), Novotný, Karel (author), Samek, Ota (author), Zikmund, Tomáš (author), Pořízka, Pavel (author), Kaiser, Jozef (author)

People are exposed to microplastics (MPs) on a large scale in everyday life. However, it is not clear whether MPs can also be distributed and retained in certain tissues. Therefore, the development of analytical methods capable of detecting MPs in specific human organs/tissues is of utmost importance. In this study, the use and combination of spectroscopic techniques, namely Raman microspectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), was tested for the detection of polyethylene (PE) MPs in human tonsils. Preliminary results showed that Raman microspectroscopy was able to detect MPs down to 1 μm in size and LIBS down to 10 μm. In the next step, human tonsils were spiked with PE MPs, and digested. The filtered particles were analyzed using Raman microspectroscopy and LIBS, and complemented by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results showed that Raman microspectroscopy could reliably detect PE MPs in spiked human tonsils, while LIBS and XRF served as a reference analytical method to characterize particles that could not be classified by Raman microspectroscopy for their non-organic origin. The results of this study, supported by a current feasibility study conducted on clinical samples, demonstrated the reliability and feasibility of this approach for monitoring MPs in biotic samples.

• Language: English
• Keywords: plastics, microplastics, polyethylene, tissue analysis, human tonsils, detection
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 18, art. e37844
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-161942
• UDC: 504.5:678.742.2:543.42
• ISSN on article: 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37844
• COBISS.SI-ID: 207627523
• Publication date in RUL: 17.09.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Heliyon
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2405-8440
• COBISS.SI-ID: 21607432

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: plastika, mikroplastika, polietilen, analiza tkiva, človeški mandeljni, detekcija