Proposed ASTM Test Method Will Use Infrared To Identify Microplastics In Water

The proposed test method combines with other ASTM methods to provide a framework for comprehensive analyses of water matrices.

W. Conshohocken, PA – ASTM International’s water committee (D19) is developing a proposed test method that uses existing sample preparation protocols to measure microplastics in water using infrared technology. The proposed standard (WK87463) includes methods for automated analysis of smaller particles using infrared microscopy, and characterization of larger particles with a microscope or the naked eye, followed by confirmation with a benchtop infrared spectrometer.

According to ASTM member William Lipps, unifying microplastic detection methods is key to reliability across testing facilities.

“Without standardized methods, you cannot rely on the comparability, or sometimes even the accuracy of the results you see reported in the media or in research articles,” says Lipps, general manager of government and regulatory business development with Shimadzu. “If everyone uses the same methods and you can demonstrate how these methods relate to each other, then you will be able to trust that the numbers they report are real.”

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6 on clean water and sanitation and #14 on life below water.

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