Plastic pollution is a defining environmental contaminant and is considered to be one of the greatest environmental threats of the Anthropocene, with its presence documented across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of this plastic debris falls into the micro (1 μm–5 mm) or nano (1–1000 nm) size range and comes from primary and secondary sources. Its small size makes it cumbersome to isolate and analyze reproducibly, and its ubiquitous distribution creates numerous challenges when controlling for background contamination across matrices (e.g., sediment, tissue, water, air). Although research on microplastics represents a relatively nascent subfield, burgeoning interest in questions surrounding the fate and effects of these debris items creates a pressing need for harmonized sampling protocols and quality control approaches. For results across laboratories to be reproducible and comparable, it is imperative that guidelines based on vetted protocols be readily available to research groups, many of which are either new to plastics research or, as with any new subfield, have arrived at current approaches through a process of trial-and-error rather than in consultation with the greater scientific community. The goals of this manuscript are to (i) outline the steps necessary to conduct general as well as matrix-specific quality assurance and quality control based on sample type and associated constraints, (ii) briefly review current findings across matrices, and (iii) provide guidance for the design of sampling regimes. Specific attention is paid to the source of microplastic pollution as well as the pathway by which contamination occurs, with details provided regarding each step in the process from generating appropriate questions to sampling design and collection.

中文翻译：

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EXPRESS：采样和 QA/QC：科学家调查基质中微塑料发生情况的指南

塑料污染是一种定义性的环境污染物，被认为是人类世最大的环境威胁之一，其存在于水生和陆地生态系统中。大多数塑料碎片属于微米（1 μm–5 mm）或纳米（1–1000 nm）尺寸范围，来自主要和次要来源。它的小尺寸使其难以进行可重复的分离和分析，并且其无处不在的分布在控制跨基质（例如，沉积物、组织、水、空气）的背景污染时带来了许多挑战。尽管对微塑料的研究代表了一个相对新生的子领域，但人们对围绕这些碎片的命运和影响的问题的兴趣日益浓厚，迫切需要统一的采样协议和质量控制方法。为了使跨实验室的结果具有可重复性和可比性，研究小组必须随时可以使用基于经过审查的协议的指南，其中许多是塑料研究的新手，或者与任何新的子领域一样，已经通过试错的过程，而不是与更大的科学界协商。本手稿的目标是 (i) 概述根据样本类型和相关约束进行一般和特定于矩阵的质量保证和质量控制所需的步骤，(ii) 简要回顾跨矩阵的当前发现，以及 (iii)为抽样制度的设计提供指导。特别关注微塑料污染的来源以及污染发生的途径，