The abstract of a January 20, 2022 article in Nature Nanotechnology https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-021-01063-3 by researchers with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Netherlands Leiden University reports that “... There is an urgent need to accurately quantify nanoplastics accumulation in plants. Polystyrene (PS) particles with a diameter of 200 nm were doped with the europium chelate Eu–β-diketonate (PS-Eu), which was used to quantify PS-Eu particles uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa), grown hydroponically and in sandy soil using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. PS-Eu particles accumulated mainly in the roots, while transport to the shoots was limited (for example, <3% for 5,000 μg PS particles per litre exposure) … The presence of PS-Eu particles in the plant was further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Doping with lanthanide chelates provides a versatile strategy for elucidating the interactions between nanoplastics and plants …” #NanoPlastic #PlasticWaste #SingleUsePlastic @UniLeidenNews