Analyzing Microplastics in Food, Drinking Water, and Everyday Cosmetics
Do you want to know how miniscule invisible plastic pieces and the chemicals attached to them end up in the daily foodstuffs and cosmetics you consume — and how researchers exactly trace and identify them? By the end you will know the current Harmful effects of microplastics in cosmetics, the current methodology for identifying microplastics, the quantifiable detection for major phthalates in Indian specimens, and usable numbers and thresholds that make the difference for safety and testing.
How FTIR reveals hidden microplastics — and what the numbers look like
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is the industry standard for determining polymer type for environmental and consumer specimens. Mid-infrared FTIR microplastic analysis (400–4000 cm⁻¹), often in transmission or in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) modes, is most widely used among Indian and international microplastic research, as most polymers possess diagnostic IR “fingerprint” regions. Attenuated total reflection-FTIR (ATR-FTIR) is also widely used for particles ≳20–50 µm;and when combined with multivariate analysis, it can also determine weathered or degraded plastic.Below the ~1–10 µm scale, most specimens require Raman spectroscopy, which is also critical for advancing Microplastic pollution solutions through accurate detection and risk assessment.
Why the limits are important: numerous Indian coastal- and river-water studies indicate most found particles range between 5–100 µm — the very interval where FTIR (particularly µ-FTIR and ATR-FTIR) excels. In particular, numerous bottled- and tap-water studies have indicated mean microplastic abundances between several pieces/litre through hundreds/litre or more, depending on approach and particle-cut-off; bottled-water summaries worldwide indicate averages between ~2–325 particles/L, depending on whether ultra-fine particles (6–100 µm) were or weren’t included. River studies in India have indicated averages such as 0.2–0.7 pieces/L in certain systems, whereas selective Indian coastal-foodstuff studies found pieces smaller than 120 µm in virtually all samples assayed. These heuristically demonstrated ranges illustrate how methodology (filter hole size, spectroscopic detection limit) radically alters counts reported — why selective FTIR methodology choices are vital.
Phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DIBP, DIDP, DINP, DEP, DMP, DNOP): prevalence and Indian regulatory numbers
Phthalates are plasticizers often associated with flexible plastics; they can migrate from packaging, cosmetics, and products into water, food, and biological tissues. In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has set migration limits for certain phthalates — notably a migration limit for DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) from food contact plastics of 1.5 mg/kg food — a key benchmark when interpreting migration and exposure data.
Measured amounts: Indian trials conducted with LC-MS/MS or GC-MS on bottled water and food packages have found DEHP and other phthalates at trace through low mg/kg (or µg/L) concentrations; particular trials on bottled water manufactured in India report calculated migration ranges between ~0.038 mg/L (by bottle mass using FSSAI migration assumptions) and detectable phthalate concentrations in certain samples. Human biomonitoring in India also reports the presence of urinary phthalate metabolites — DBP and DEHP metabolites have been linked with health effects in certain epidemiologic results. Collectively, these data signify quantifiable exposure mechanisms through packages and products into humans.
Test note: phthalates are analyzed using selective chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS or GC-MS). In conjunction with FTIR microplastic mapping, laboratories are also able to both identify/present counts on polymers and determine chemical additives by weight — an effective dual-approach methodology that identifies not only “how much plastic” but “what it could potentially leach.”
What this means for consumers and testing labs (advanced takeaways)
- Health risk is cumulative, not instant: Even if levels in a single test appear low, continuous intake through bottled water, seafood, and cosmetics can slowly build up in the body. This cumulative effect is where the real health concern lies.
- Chemical + polymer match is key: Typical Indian water and seafood polymers (PET, PE, PP, PVC, nylon) often co-occur with plasticizers (DBP, DEHP) — associating polymer identification (FTIR) with focused phthalate assays provides the most useful exposure information.
- Regulatory anchor: FSSAI’s DEHP migration limit (1.5 mg/kg) provides an actual standard for compliance; many environmental residues found are lower but bioaccumulation and chronic exposure (via food, cosmetics, bottled water) are a concern — particularly among vulnerable subpopulations.
- Need for routine monitoring: For labs and regulators, regular monitoring across different product categories, not just food but also cosmetics and packaged water — is essential to build reliable data on exposure trends. For consumers, this translates to better safety standards over time.
Last words & sources
Microplastics by number are quantifiable in Indian food, water, and cosmetic materials; FTIR (particularly ATR and µ-FTIR), on the other hand, is the key to polymer identification whereas selective mass spectrometry measures phthalates relative to regulatory standards including FSSAI’s 1.5 mg/kg DEHP standard. To readers interested in further details, recent reviews and Indian studies referred herein give procedures, example concentrations, as well as inter-matrix comparisons.
Sources and additional reading: peer-reviewed reviews and Indian investigations on FTIR techniques and microplastics, bottled water LC-MS phthalate tests, and FSSAI regulations on packaging migrations.
If you or your organization requires trustworthy polymer identification and phthalate quantitation services or information on implementing a compliant testing program, reach out to Anacon Laboratories — they will develop FTIR + mass-spec workflows for food, water, and cosmetic testing.
