California Develops Analytical Testing Methods for Microplastics in Drinking Water
News & Events
December 17, 2021
California’s State Water Board announced last week that it has developed new standard methods for analyzing microplastics in drinking water.
Topics:
Emerging Contaminants, Microplastics,
Data Quality, Analytical Methods
NEWS ALERT
California Develops Analytical Testing Methods for Microplastics in Drinking Water
California’s State Water Board announced last week that it has developed new standard methods for analyzing microplastics in drinking water, the world’s first regulatory standard methods in this medium. The science of measuring microplastics in environmental samples and assessing potential risks to human health and the environment is relatively new. As consumer and regulatory concerns have grown, California has been at the forefront of this issue, having recently developed a regulatory definition of microplastics and guidance for monitoring these materials in drinking water. The new analytical procedures released last week are the first proposed methods to standardize microplastics measurements in environmental samples, and use Raman and infrared spectroscopy to evaluate microplastics in drinking water. These methods will enable the California Water Board to begin collecting consistent, standardized data about the amount and types of microplastics in drinking water sources. Eventually, those data can be used to provide insight regarding exposures and potential risks from microplastics in drinking water.
Gradient is tracking the evolving science and regulatory concerns related to microplastics. Gradient’s expertise related to microplastics and other emerging contaminants includes:
more than 20 years of experience assessing risks to human health and the environment for a range of chemicals, including emerging contaminants;
experience developing and assessing standard methods for analyzing existing and emerging contaminants in environmental samples; and
recognized technical experts in the fields of exposure assessment, human health and marine environmental toxicology, spatial data analysis, and environmental fate and transport.
If you have any questions about Gradient’s capabilities related to microplastics, please visit our website or contact:
