Novel radiolabeling method of nanoplastics could improve understanding of plastic pollution

Researchers from the University of Surrey (UK) have developed a one-step polymerization method to label nanoplastics. The technique produces polystyrene nanoplastics labelled with radioactive 14C, which enables the collection of quantitative biodistribution and toxicokinetic information in environmentally realistic scenarios. Nanoplastics are particles that constitute a highly hazardous component of marine plastic litter thought to be released from a range of commercial products and fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic. One major concern for the environment is the danger that small animals may ingest the particles. The study, published in Communications Materials, describes a simple method of achieving the previously multistep...