Understanding the scope of plastic pollution — from visible debris to invisible particles — and why reliable detection is the foundation of everything we do.
Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, generated through the breakdown of larger plastic waste or manufactured intentionally (e.g., microbeads). They are now found everywhere — in oceans, soil, air, drinking water, and even human blood and placenta. Their small size allows them to enter food chains and carry toxic additives or adsorbed pollutants.
Particles smaller than 1 μm — invisible under optical microscopes. Nanoplastics can cross biological membranes, penetrate tissues, and potentially enter cells. Their detection is far more challenging than microplastics, requiring advanced analytical techniques. Reliable NP identification is an urgent frontier.
Intentionally manufactured small plastics: microbeads in cosmetics, industrial abrasives, pre-production pellets.
Fragmentation of larger items: tire wear, synthetic textile fibers, plastic packaging degradation under UV, heat, and mechanical stress.
Waste-to-energy incineration, open burning, and industrial thermal processes generate aged microplastics with altered chemical signatures.
Without accurate detection, we cannot assess risk, trace sources, or design effective regulations. Yet today, every lab uses different instruments, libraries, and criteria — making results impossible to compare. OpenMNP exists to help solve this.
Reliable identification of MPs and NPs in human tissues, food, and water is essential for toxicological studies and public health policy.
Tracking MP pollution in air, water, and soil — and understanding how particles move through ecosystems — depends on consistent detection methods.
As governments begin to regulate microplastic emissions, standardized detection becomes critical for enforcement and industry accountability.
