Validation of an imaging FTIR spectroscopic method for analyzing microplastics ingestion by Finnish lake fish (Perca fluviatilis and Coregonus albula)

Highlights • The ingestion rate of microplastics (MPs) was 17% for perch and 25% for vendace. • Most of the ingested MPs were smaller than 100 μm. • Imaging FTIR method was developed for the quantification of MPs from fish gut. • Contamination increased the limit of detection especially for small MPs.

Despite the ubiquitousness of microplastics, knowledge on the exposure of freshwater fish to microplastics is still limited. Moreover, no standard methods are available for analyzing microplastics, and the quality of methods used for the quantification of ingested microplastics in fish should be improved. In this study, we studied microplastic ingestion of common wild freshwater fish species, perch (Perca fluviatilis) and vendace (Coregonus albula). Further, our aim was to develop and validate imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic method for the quantification of ingested microplastics. For this purpose, enzymatically digested samples were measured with focal plane array (FPA) based infrared microscope. Data was analyzed with siMPle software, which provides counts, mass estimations, sizes, and materials for the measured particles. Method validation was conducted with ten procedural blanks and recovery tests, resulting in 75% and 77% recovery rates for pretreatment and infrared imaging, respectively. Pretreatment caused contamination principally by small <100 μm microplastics. The results showed that 17% of perch and 25% of vendace had ingested plastic. Most of the fish contained little or no plastics, while some individuals contained high numbers of small particles or alternatively few large particles. Perch from one sampling site out of five had ingested microplastics, but vendace from all sampling sites had ingested microplastics. The microplastics found from fish were mostly small: 81% had particle size between 20 and 100 μm, and most of them were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. In conclusion, the implemented method revealed low numbers of ingested microplastics on average but needs further development for routine monitoring of small microplastics.