Nanoplastics Use of Suitable Terminology For Representation In Waste, Degradation of Plastics and Presence in the Environment
The NIA is urging regulators, the media, and public agencies to stop using the term "nanoplastics" in isolation, warning that the label wrongly conflates intentionally manufactured nanomaterials with plastic particles created by environmental degradation.Science currently cannot distinguish a manufactured nanoplastic particle from one formed by fragmentation of larger plastics in the environment, making the terminology not just imprecise but potentially damaging to the wider nanomaterials sector.The NIA's fix is straightforward: always qualify the term with "incidental" or "manufactured" depending on context, a small change that could prevent significant regulatory and reputational harm to an industry that produces very few intentional nanoplastics.
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