Characterizing Microplastics and Microfibres using micro-FTIR

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Microplastics and microfibres (together as microparticles) contaminate every environmental compartment from the poles to the equator, with exposure and the potential to cause adverse effects to animal populations, including humans. Microparticles constitute a diverse range of contaminants that are sufficiently persistent to undergo long range transport. Canada led the G7 countries to develop the Ocean Plastics Charter and has developed a Plastic Science Agenda (CaPSA) that prioritizes the detection, quantification and characterization of plastics in the environment. Our funded and proposed research aims to contribute to these CaPSA priorities by advancing the detection, quantification and characterization of microparticles in the Canadian environment, and to understand their transport from source to sink. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute the science needed to develop defensible strategies to reduce inputs and harm posed by microparticles in the environment. ******Achieving our research goals depends on reliable access to analytical instrumentation capable of identifying the chemical(s) in each microparticle; this is necessary since chemical composition, and hence source, vary widely. We have the opportunity to adapt for microparticle identification, an existing, “high end” micro-FTIR, previously used for mineral identification. This retrofitting requires purchasing new hardware and software to enable its use for microparticle identification. We are also asking to purchase a laminar flow cabinet needed for the “clean” processing of samples.******Our equipment request is essential for meeting our obligations with funded and proposed projects. These projects include: (1) investigating “sink” environments that extend from southern Ontario and Lake Winnipeg to the Arctic by characterizing microparticles in water and sediment (funded by Univ of Toronto, Northern Contaminants Program, in-kind support from Ontario's Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP); (2) characterizing sources, notably clothes laundering (funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada); (3) studying pathways of atmospheric transport (Health Canada), urban storm- and wastewater transport (Univ of Toronto; Dept of Fisheries and Oceans Canada); surface water transport (MECP); and (4) developing reliable, rapid and cost-effective methods for sampling, sample handling and identification (all funding sources).We have engaged 18 undergraduates, 3 MSc, 2 PhD and 1 post-doctoral fellow to date and have new funding for 2 additional PhD and 3 MSc students plus a minimum of 5 undergraduates per year. The skills gained by these students make them highly competitive for employment in this fast-growing field. However, all this work hinges on our ability to chemically characterize our samples that need to be handled under clean conditions, which motivates this funding application.**