Microplastic Research Center Strives to Investigate Health Implications Amidst Climate Transformation
In a significant development, a new research center, the Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment, has been established in Rochester. This center aims to investigate the lifecycle of microplastics and their impact on human health, with a focus on understanding how different kinds, shapes, sizes, and concentrations of microplastics enter the human body and affect health.
The center is a collaboration between the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Katrina Korfmacher, PhD, a professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Christy Tyler, PhD, professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at RIT, co-direct the center.
One of the key projects at the center is led by Lisa DeLouise, PhD, who is working to identify ultrafine microplastics in the water and air of Lake Ontario using nanomembrane technologies. Another project, led by Jacques Robert, PhD, will study how waterborne microplastics enter, move about, and accumulate in the body at different water temperatures anticipated due to global warming, using frogs as animal models.
The center's research will also study how climate change could intensify the environmental and health threats posed by microplastics. It will engage with a broad and diverse coalition of partners to conduct community science and promote environmental health literacy, including involving residents in efforts to monitor debris flows and developing outreach materials for various audiences.
The center is supported by $7.3 million in funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation. This funding aligns with the federal Oceans and Human Health program, which supports studies on the effects of ocean-related environmental factors, like microplastics, on human health.
Microplastics, particles less than 5 mm in size, are a growing, but little understood threat. 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. When ultrafine microplastics reach the lakeshore, they can become airborne and inhaled.
Toxicity increases as size decreases, making it easier for ultrafine microplastics to enter blood and tissue through ingestion and contact with the skin. Little is known about their long-term impact on human health, but research suggests that they could cause a range of health effects, including gut inflammation and changes in gut bacteria.
Congressman Joe Morelle is proud to have secured federal funding for the project, stating it will help cement Rochester's place as a leader in microplastics research. RIT has a strong history of nationally funded scientific research to understand and combat critical environmental issues, including plastic waste entering the Great Lakes. The center will leverage the experience, expertise, and resources of the University of Rochester's Department of Environmental Medicine and Environmental Health Sciences Center, which has been continuously supported by a NIEHS core center grant for the last 48 years.
Alison Elder, PhD, will collaborate with DeLouise to assess the toxicology of this mode of transport. The center's research will focus on the lifecycle of microplastics, including its origin as plastic waste, distribution and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem, and human exposure and health impact.
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. Understanding and mitigating the impact of microplastics on human health is crucial for the health and well-being of millions of people who rely on the Great Lakes.
[1] This article is based on available research and information, and aims to provide a clear and approachable summary of the research being conducted by the Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment. For more detailed and technical information, readers are encouraged to visit the center's website or consult the original research papers.
- The Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment, a collaboration between the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology, is focused on health research related to microplastics, including understanding their impact on human health and potential connections to climate change.
- One of the key projects at the center involves studying how waterborne microplastics enter, move about, and accumulate in the body at different water temperatures, using frogs as animal models, led by Jacques Robert, PhD.
- The center's research also aims to engage with a broad and diverse coalition of partners to conduct community science and promote environmental health literacy, including involving residents in efforts to monitor debris flows and developing outreach materials for various audiences.
- The center's study of microplastics is important for the health-and-wellness of millions of people who rely on the Great Lakes, which hold more than 20 percent of global surface freshwater and are a source of drinking water, irrigation, fisheries, and recreation.
