Source-specific identification, characterization and control of microplastics across a remote, rural and urban gradient

加拿大和国际社会越来越关注与微塑料(MP)的普遍存在、积累和潜在摄取相关的风险。作为回应，已经提出了联邦和市政战略，以减少塑料垃圾，支持循环经济，并减轻环境中的MP污染。有效执行政策的一个关键障碍仍然是MP来源、运输和命运方面的知识差距，限制了我们跟踪和清除环境中已有的那些知识的能力。缺乏一致的分析方法限制了不同研究的数据可比性。这些差距限制了我们使用模型的能力，这些模型有助于确定来源贡献和可持续控制措施，以及支持政策和管理举措所需的模型。该计划通过使用新的方法来生成建立有效控制战略所需的知识、工具和数据来解决这些差距。我们将开发新的高分辨率样品分析工具。我们将协调新的和现有的跨仪器、跨机构以及跨空气、土壤和水的分析方法，以建立MP监测网络。这将建立关于MPS在安大略省的来源、途径和分布的知识。我们将使用这些工具和数据来确定偏远地区(如加拿大北极)的MP来源，并校准流域模型。这些将被用来根据对现有技术的实验评估来量化控制措施的有效性。模型、数据和操作程序将通过一个新的在线重大计划数据库提供，确保该计划作为支持现有和未来研究计划的资源，例如北极监测和评估计划。通过直接与市政和联邦利益相关者合作，并与不同的利益相关者群体接触，通过该计划开发的知识将直接应用于支持有效的MP缓解政策，这些政策可以在加拿大各地使用。

Canadian and international concern is mounting regarding risks associated with microplastic (MP) ubiquity, accumulation and potential for ingestion. In response, federal and municipal strategies have been proposed to reduce plastic waste, support a circular economy, and mitigate MP pollution in the environment. A key road block to efficient policy implementation remains the knowledge gap in MP sources, transport, and fate, limiting our capacity to track and remove those already in the environment. A lack of consistent analytical methods has restricted data comparability across studies. These gaps constrain our ability to use models, which help to identify source contributions and sustainable control measures, and which are needed to support policy and management initiatives. This program addresses these gaps by using novel approaches to generate the knowledge, tools and data required to establish effective control strategies. We will develop new tools for high resolution sample analysis. We will harmonise novel and existing analytical procedures across instruments, institutions, and across air, soil and water, to establish an MP surveillance network. This will build knowledge of sources, pathways and distribution of MPs across Ontario. We will use these tools and data to identify MP sources in remote areas (e.g. Canadian Arctic) and to calibrate watershed models. These will be used to quantify control measure effectiveness, based on experimental assessments of available technologies. Models, data, and operating procedures will be made available through a new online MP database, ensuring that this program acts as a resource to support existing and future research programs e.g. the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. By working directly with municipal and federal stakeholders, and engaging with diverse groups of stakeholders, knowledge developed through this program will be directly applied to support effective MP mitigation policies which can be used across Canada.