Characterizing Microplastics and Microfibres using micro-FTIR

微塑料和微纤维(一起作为微粒)污染了从极点到赤道的每个环境隔间，暴露在空气中并有可能对包括人类在内的动物种群造成不利影响。微粒构成了各种各样的污染物，这些污染物具有足够的持久性，可以进行远距离传输。加拿大牵头G7国家制定了《海洋塑料宪章》，并制定了塑料科学议程，优先对环境中的塑料进行检测、量化和表征。我们资助和拟议的研究旨在通过推进加拿大环境中微粒的检测、量化和表征，并了解其从源到汇的传输，为次级作物减贫中心的这些优先事项做出贡献。归根结底，我们的目标是贡献所需的科学，以开发可防御的战略，以减少环境中微粒的输入和造成的危害。*实现我们的研究目标依赖于可靠地获得能够识别每个微粒中的化学物质(S)的分析仪器；这是必要的，因为化学成分，因此来源，是非常不同的。我们有机会适应微粒鉴定，这是一种现有的“高端”微型FTIR，以前用于矿物鉴定。这种改装需要购买新的硬件和软件，以便能够将其用于微粒识别。我们还要求购买层流流动柜，用于样品的“清洁”处理。*我们的设备要求是履行我们对已资助和拟议项目的义务所必需的。这些项目包括：(1)通过表征水和沉积物中的微粒，调查从安大略省南部和温尼伯湖延伸到北极的“沉没”环境(由多伦多大学、北方污染物计划资助，由安大略省环境、养护和公园部(MECP)提供实物支持)；(2)确定污染源，特别是洗衣(由加拿大环境和气候变化资助)；(3)研究大气运输(加拿大卫生部)、城市风暴和废水运输(多伦多大学；加拿大渔业和海洋部)；地表水运输(MECP)；和(4)开发可靠、快速和经济有效的采样、处理和鉴定方法(所有资金来源)。到目前为止，我们已经聘用了18名本科生、3名硕士、2名博士和1名博士后研究员，并有新的资金用于额外的2名博士和3名硕士学生，以及每年至少5名本科生。这些学生获得的技能使他们在这个快速增长的领域具有很强的就业竞争力。然而，所有这些工作都取决于我们对需要在清洁条件下处理的样品进行化学表征的能力，这促使了这项资金申请。

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.**