Are We Speaking the Same Language? Recommendations for a Definition and Categorization Framework for Plastic Debris

The accumulation of plastic litter in natural environments is a global issue. Concerns over potential negative impacts on the economy, wildlife, and human health provide strong incentives for improving the sustainable use of plastics. Despite the many voices raised on the issue, we lack a consensus on how to define and categorize plastic debris. This is evident for microplastics, where inconsistent size classes are used and where the materials to be included are under debate. While this is inherent in an emerging research field, an ambiguous terminology results in confusion and miscommunication that may compromise progress in research and mitigation measures. Therefore, we need to be explicit on what exactly we consider plastic debris. Thus, we critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a unified terminology, propose a definition and categorization framework, and highlight areas of uncertainty. Going beyond size classes, our framework includes physicochemical properties (polymer composition, solid state, solubility) as defining criteria and size, shape, color, and origin as classifiers for categorization. Acknowledging the rapid evolution of our knowledge on plastic pollution, our framework will promote consensus building within the scientific and regulatory community based on a solid scientific foundation

Dermatological applications of EPR : skin-deep or in-depth?

The skin is often referred to as the biggest uniform human body organ, and also as the "brain outside", exposed not only, like the lung epithelium, to the atmospheric air but to other constituents of the open environment including changeable temperature and solar irradiation. The importance of what happens in the skin is therefore not to be overestimated for general condition of the whole organism. Techniques of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR; called also electron spin resonance, ESR) spectroscopy and imaging belong to the important experimental and diagnostic approaches in dermatology, but the size and shape of skin often make technical problems. The present chapter will cover the basic and clinical applications of EPR to study the skin (including skin tumors) and hair. As the numerous available review papers usually describe the specificity of the EPR-related methods for dermatologists, we decided to cover also some basic aspects of dermatology, to make the chapter more useful also to the specialists in EPR theory and instrumentation. A particular emphasis will be put on the most recent discoveries and innovations, to show that the apparently purely dermatological aspects of such investigations reveal also deeper, systemic implications