Have the scientists contaminated the samples they collected themselves? Studies have shown that they may be emitting large amounts of microfibers. A paper published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin by staffordshire university and the Rozalia project investigated procedural pollution when sampling microparticles in the aquatic environment. The study showed that a large number of microplastics and microfibers in the scientists' clothing and equipment were mixed with environmental pollution in water samples.
Claire Gwinnett, professor of forensic and environmental sciences at Staffordshire University, explains: "This can happen on site due to the dynamic nature of the environment, such as wind or weather, the actions required to obtain samples, and the close contact required by scientists on medium-sized vessels, boats or sampling from shore. In mobile labs, this often happens because of the use of small, multi-purpose spaces, and similar requirements, scientists must be close to samples when handling them. ”
The data was collected during an expedition along the Hudson River by American Promise, a 60-foot oceanographic sailing research vessel on the Rozalia Project. The team tracked contamination by collecting fibers from every possible source of contamination on board, including clothing worn by science and the fleet, sail bags and tarps, sail and equipment control lines, and interior textiles. By doing so, they created a catalog that first compared every fiber and fragment found in the environmental sample. If there is a match, the exact source of procedural contamination is indicated. If there is no match, the particle is considered contaminated.
The study found that 71.4% of the microparticles in the sample were contaminated when the water sample was not collected using a strong anti-contamination protocol (using a metal drum to collect a water surface sample, using a Niskin bottle to collect a meso-water column sample), and similarly, when the water sample was treated without an anti-contamination protocol (using vacuum filtration), 68.4% of the microparticles in the sample were contaminated.
Co-lead author Rachael Z. Miller, founder of Rozalia's Clean Ocean Project, said: "This is a study aimed at strengthening the scientific process by revealing the extent to which the fibers of our clothes fall off, not just in washing machines or dryers, but in the behaviour we wear it and in our daily lives. ”
"Some of the lessons one can draw from this study are to handle our clothes well — this can reduce fiber breakage by adjusting laundry procedures, such as washing in cold water and air drying as much as possible; pay attention to the clothes we choose — and more and more information shows the extent to which various types of fabrics fall off and supports brands and organizations that are aware of and address this issue, working to better understand our textiles and innovatively making them more resilient, using materials that put less pressure on our natural world." , while still maintaining its ability to protect us from outside influences. ”
The study also proposes forensic-inspired methods that could reduce the amount of procedural contamination that was mistakenly added to environmental samples by 37 percent during the collection phase of the study. This reduction can save the research team a lot of time by reducing the number of microparticles that must be analyzed.
Future research solutions include equipping the entire team with the same low-shed, unusually colored clothing, preferably with abnormal fiber morphology. This will allow for the quick identification of contamination. Since fibers from captains and first mates' clothing were also found in this study, it is important to include the entire fleet in these quality control considerations.