You have full access to this open access article. Analysis of microplastics MP in environmental samples is an emerging field, which is performed with various methods and instruments based either on spectroscopy or thermoanalytical methods. In general, both approaches result in two different types of data sets that are either mass or particle number related.
Depending on detection limits of the respective method and instrumentation the derived polymer composition trends may vary. The measurements were conducted consecutively, and on exactly the same sample. After a general data harmonization step, the trends in MP contamination were thoroughly investigated with regard to the respective sample set and the derived polymer compositions.
While the overall trends in MP contamination were very similar, differences were observed in the polymer compositions. Here, a most plausible shape-related overestimation of the calculated polymer masses was observed in samples with larger particles and increased particle numbers.
Taking into account the different measurement principles of both methods, all results were examined and discussed, and future needs for harmonization of intermethodological results were identified and highlighted. Microplastic MP particles [ 1 ] are considered as a new pollutant in the environment and their analysis is an emerging field in analytical chemistry [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The ubiquitous pollution with MP causes concern to society and governments, and first legislations to govern MP in the marine environment, as well as in consumer products, are in preparation, e.
The analysis of MP faces several challenges due to variable properties of the targeted particles, complexity of environmental samples, and associated analytical costs [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 9 ]. Additionally, MP contamination can either be expressed as the number of particles present in a sample or as the mass concentration of the respective polymer.
