It all started with a coffee maker.

Scientists at the University of Victoria’s MiNa Lab, a research team that studies the behavior of fluids, wanted to know if their coffee maker was leaking plastic into their morning brew.

After conducting tests on the coffee, they determined that it did in fact contain some microplastics.

“As soon as we discovered it, we realized that the presence of microplastics would be more prevalent in our daily lives,” said Abbas Motalebizadeh, a doctoral student at UVic and administrator of the MiNa laboratory in the department of mechanical engineering.

This led them to another question: what can we do to help people become more aware of their microplastic consumption?

The team decided to develop an affordable and portable device to test for microplastics in liquids, with the aim of creating something that could be easily used by anyone at home.

Samples of a liquid are placed on a test, where it mixes with gold nanoparticles that appear red. The clearer the liquid after mixing with the reagent, the higher the concentration of microplastics.

People will also be able to quantify the amount of microplastics using an app, Motalebizadeh said.

Tests to detect the presence of microplastics already exist, but large devices are confined to laboratories, he explained. The team is developing a test that fits in the palm of your hand and could cost as little as a few dollars.

Microplastics have been found in human blood, meaning they have passed through the organs, Motalebizadeh explained.

“It’s become an area of ​​research because scientists, researchers and doctors have discovered it in the human body, but we don’t yet know exactly what it means for human health,” said Emily Earl, responsible for operations of the MiNa laboratory.

Motalebizadeh said the team detected microplastics in bottled water and tap water. He hopes that allowing people to determine their consumption will help them make choices to reduce their consumption of microplastics.

“To our knowledge, we believe that any physical contact with plastic products can leach microplastics. For example, even when you have a plastic container with your food in it and you want to grab your lunch and try to chop it up with your spoon, that can leach microplastics,” he said.

A prototype should be ready next spring. Motalebizadeh does not know when the device will be ready for market, as it may require approval from government agencies.

Replacing plastic containers with glass or metal alternatives can help, he said.

(email protected)

>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: (email protected)