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

加拿大和国际上越来越关注与微塑料（MP）的普遍存在、积累和潜在摄入相关的风险。作为回应，已经提出了联邦和市政战略，以减少塑料废物，支持循环经济，并减轻环境中的MP污染。有效实施政策的一个主要障碍仍然是在环境污染源、运输和命运方面的知识差距，这限制了我们追踪和清除环境中已经存在的环境污染的能力。缺乏一致的分析方法限制了研究间数据的可比性。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，并且需要支持政策和管理举措。该计划通过使用新方法来产生建立有效控制策略所需的知识、工具和数据，解决了这些差距。我们将开发高分辨率样品分析的新工具。我们将在仪器、机构以及空气、土壤和水方面协调新的和现有的分析程序，以建立一个多酚监测网络。这将建立安大略省议员来源、途径和分布的知识。我们将使用这些工具和数据来识别偏远地区（如加拿大北极地区）的MP来源，并校准流域模型。这些指标将根据对现有技术的实验性评估，用于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MP数据库提供，确保该计划作为支持现有和未来研究计划（如北极监测和评估计划）的资源。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.