Assessment of Microplastic Sampling Frequency for Drinking Water Using Pyrolysis-GC/MS
Abstract
Py-GC/MS was used to quantify six polymers: polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in source and treated water from a Lake Ontario drinking water treatment facility over 11 months. Total microplastic (MP) concentration in source water averaged 3,497 ± 5,788 ng/L. Treatment removed 95.9% ± 8.1% of MPs, yielding concentrations of 143 ± 153 ng/L. PE, PVC, and PP most frequently exceeded detection limits in both source and treated waters. The use of Py-GC/MS for mass-based concentrations facilitated calculation of a daily exposure estimate of 7.6 ng/kg-day, primarily driven by PE. This study indicated that monthly sampling could characterize annual MP occurrence within 40% of the mean (CI = 80%).
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