articleToxicological SciencesFeb 17, 2024GREEN OA

Quantitation and identification of microplastics accumulation in human placental specimens using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry

MAMarcus A. GarciaRLRui LiuANAlexander NihartEEEliane El HayekEFEliseo F. Castillo

University of New Mexico · Baylor College of Medicine · +2 more institutions

PubMed
Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

The exponential increase in global plastic usage has led to the emergence of nano- and microplastic (NMP) pollution as a pressing environmental issue due to its implications for human and other mammalian health. We have developed methodologies to extract solid materials from human tissue samples by saponification and ultracentrifugation, allowing for highly specific and quantitative analysis of plastics by pyrolysis-gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). As a benchmark, placenta tissue samples were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and automated particle count, which demonstrated the presence of >1-micron particles and fibers, but not nano-sized plastic particles. Analyses of the samples (n…

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Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Microplastics
  • Chromatography
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental chemistry
  • Gas chromatography
  • Pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
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