ISO 16094-2:2025

This document specifies a method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of microparticles of plastic or elastomeric materials in water using a microscopy technique coupled with vibrational spectroscopy. The aim is to generate reliable and comparable data on the potential presence of microplastics in clean waters with micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µFTIR) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. For simplification, the addressed materials will be named "microplastics" in the document. The method allows: • Determination of the size distribution of microplastics (1 µm to 5 000 µm); • Identification of the composition of microplastics by characterizing, the type of polymer (PE, PP, PET, PTFE, PS, PVC, PC, PMMA, elastomers … The method is applicable to: • Ultrapure water in accordance with ISO 3696; • Water intended for human consumption (drinking water); • Bottled water; • Untreated groundwater.