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Rutgers University has received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study health effects associated with exposure to micro- and nanoplastics.
When plastics, such as water bottles, break down into tiny particles, they contaminate our air, food and water.
Micro- and nanoplastics are often invisible and easily ingested, where they can find their way into human organs.
“We’ve been dumping plastics into the environment for quite some time — 50, 60 years — and these non-biodegradable plastics continue to break down into smaller pieces due to weathering, mechanical wear, thermal stress, etc.,” says Philip Democritou, Henry Rutgers Dean and professor of nanoscience and environmental bioengineering at Rutgers Health. “And we’ve contaminated just about every environmental medium: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink.”
The five-year Rutgers study will evaluate how exposure to these particles affects the human digestive system, including the intestines and other organs, especially in people with inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers will also study cellular processes following exposure and what role the type and chemistry of plastic plays in particle absorption and toxicity.
“We know that these microplastics can penetrate the biological barriers that our bodies have in place to protect us, and of course the big question, and the million-dollar question, is what impact does this exposure have on our health?” said Democritou, the study’s lead researcher.
