Events

The widespread use of plastics has led to the release of microplastics and a complex range of plastic‑associated chemicals into the environment. Understanding how these contaminants are measured and prioritised is essential for effective environmental monitoring, risk assessment and future regulation.

Measuring microplastics in soils presents significant analytical challenges, with limitations in current methodologies affecting accuracy and consistency. However, recent advances are improving the reliability of environmental measurements. As soils are increasingly recognised as a major sink for microplastics, robust and standardised analytical approaches are becoming critical.

In contrast, the diversity of plastic‑associated chemicals introduces a different challenge. With thousands of additives, monomers and degradation products in use, comprehensive monitoring is neither practical nor justified. Emerging prioritisation approaches instead focus on exposure potential, hazard and analytical feasibility to identify chemicals most likely to pose risks to human and environmental health.

In this webinar, our speaker will explore:

• Analytical challenges and recent advances in measuring microplastics in soils.
• The role of soils as a sink for microplastics and implications for monitoring.
• Limitations of current analytical methods and the need for improved standardisation.
• The complexity of plastic‑associated chemicals and why prioritisation is required.
• Approaches for identifying high‑priority chemicals based on exposure, hazard and analytical feasibility.

Practical examples will demonstrate how advances in analytical techniques are improving confidence in environmental measurements, and how prioritisation frameworks can support effective monitoring and risk assessment of plastic‑associated contaminants.

This webinar will be particularly valuable for contaminated land practitioners, environmental scientists, regulators, and consultants. A live Q&A will follow, and the session will be recorded.