A new research center will study the lifecycle of microplastics, including their origin as plastic waste, distribution, and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem. The new center, based in Rochester, NY, will focus on how climate change could intensify the environmental and health threats posed by microplastics.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new research center will study the lifecycle of microplastics, including their origin as plastic waste, distribution, and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem. The new center, based in Rochester, NY, will focus on how climate change could intensify the environmental and health threats posed by microplastics.
The Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment is a collaboration between the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester and supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the federal Oceans and Human Health program.
"This funding gives us the opportunity to bring together environmental and health sciences researchers to tackle a truly global crisis", said Christy Tyler, professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at RIT and co-director of the center with Katrina Korfmacher, a professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). "We plan to combine research on the quantity and characteristics of plastic in the places where people are most likely to encounter it, with research on how these particles impact our health. And as a result, we'll be able to come up with a more holistic understanding of the potential harm of plastic pollution and how we can develop targeted strategies to minimize it."
Microplastics, particles less than 5 mm in size, are produced from plastic waste, which, over time, is broken down into microscopic fragments that move easily through the food chain. Common sources of plastic pollution include food wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic straws, cigarette butts, tire-wear particles, and synthetic clothing. Plastic waste enters the environment via urban stormwater and agricultural runoff, and wastewater. Microplastics are ubiquitous and frequently difficult to detect and mitigate, and research has found the particles in human blood, heart, liver, and lung tissue, placenta, and breast milk. However, little is known about their long-term impact on human health.
The Great Lakes hold more than 20 percent of global surface freshwater and are a source of drinking water, irrigation, fisheries, and recreation for more than 30 million people. While progress has been made in recent decades to improve the environmental health of the lakes, these gains are threatened by rising plastic pollution.
The new center will undertake research projects that aim to understand how environmental changes may affect the movement and characteristics of microplastics in Lake Ontario, how microplastics interact with other contaminants, and the impact on inflammation and immune response in model biological systems. The goal is to develop and promote solutions that inform future research, community actions, and policy changes that will lessen microplastic health effects.
A project by the University of Rochester will employ nanomembrane technologies to identify ultrafine microplastics in the water and air that can be more easily ingested into blood and tissue. Another will use frogs as models to study how waterborne microplastics enter, move about, and accumulate in the body at different water temperatures anticipated due to global warming. The center will also engage with community partners by involving residents in efforts to monitor debris flows and developing, evaluating, and disseminating outreach materials for audiences including youth, educators, community groups, and policymakers in both urban and rural settings.
Media Contact
Mollie Radzinski, Rochester Institute of Technology, 585-520-1487, [email protected] , www.rit.edu
SOURCE Rochester Institute of Technology
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