Eurofins | IPROMA & Markes to jointly develop a methodology for the determination of microplastics
2 March 2020
Eurofins | IPROMA (Castelló, Spain) has recently signed a collaboration agreement with Markes International, (Llantrisant, UK), a company specialising in the quantification of trace amounts of volatile and semi-volatile compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) by gas chromatography (GC).
The agreement is aimed at facilitating the development and validation of a methodology for the quantification of micro- and nano-plastics up to 0.3 µm in size by Eurofins | IPROMA using a Markes International instrument.
The instrument, which is operational at the Eurofins | IPROMA central office, has already processed some samples obtaining satisfactory results in the quantification of these contaminants at low detection limits.
As a result of the collaboration, Eurofins | IPROMA, together with Markes International, will make a presentation at the "SETAC Europe 30th Annual Meeting" congress, to be held in Dublin (Ireland) from 3-7 May, entitled "Qualitative Analysis Of Microplastics: A Problem To Be Solved".
The development of this type of methodology is fundamental to quantify the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in different natural environments, to determine the origin of these contaminants and take the necessary measures for their elimination. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged research into microplastics and a drastic reduction in the pollution produced by plastics in the environment, aware of the serious effects that they can cause on human health.
Eurofins | IPROMA, which actively participates in the microplastics working group of the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation, is once again ahead of the regulatory requirements to provide innovative solutions to current problems.
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About Eurofins | Iproma
Eurofins | IPROMA is a service company whose main mission is the diagnosis and measurement of environmental and industrial hygiene aspects on behalf of the public administration and private companies. The activities carried out by the company include study work, consultancy, analysis and instrument sampling of water (drinking water, waste water, continental water, marine water, etc.), sediment, soil, waste, biota, biological quality elements, air quality and industrial hygiene analysis, etc.
Eurofins | IPROMA, a reference laboratory in the field of environmental control and analysis, is part of the EUROFINS SCIENTIFIC Group, a world leader in bioanalytical testing, with over 45,000 employees in a network of 800 laboratories in 47 countries.
About Markes International
Markes International is a specialist manufacturer of instrumentation for detection of trace-level volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs). Markes has a well-deserved reputation for its application expertise in the field of thermal desorption, supplying a comprehensive range of instruments, sampling instrument and consumables that enhance the analytical capability of GC–MS. Markes’ systems are sold to a wide range of research, government and industrial/service laboratory customers operating in sectors including environmental monitoring, homeland security and forensic investigations, petrochemical analysis, materials testing, and flavour & fragrance profiling.
