Nanoplastics and the Marine Environment

Assessing and managing environmental hazards of polymers: historical development, science advances and policy options

“…10 Being nanoaggregates, these particles will be colloidal in nature; their extremely complex compositions make quantifying them a formidable analytical challenge, considering that the current state-of-the-art analytical techniques are limited to non-aggregated nanoplastics and water-soluble polymers. 51,52 Moving to a larger size category, the primary and secondary (micro)plastic litter and its biolm (1 mm to >5 mm), the fate of its members is similar to the pure chemicals above the point of saturation; depending on their density, they will oat, sink or be dispersed/suspended. The sinking and dispersion rates are very much dependent on uid velocities and turbulences.…”

“…10 Being nanoaggregates, these particles will be colloidal in nature; their extremely complex compositions make quantifying them a formidable analytical challenge, considering that the current state-of-the-art analytical techniques are limited to non-aggregated nanoplastics and water-soluble polymers. 51,52…”