On June 25, 2024, AURORA project coordinator Roel Vermeulen had the opportunity to present during a webinar on micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and public health hosted by the Collaborative for Health & Environment. An aim of the webinar was to showcase the work of the CUSP consortium, specifically the member projects AURORA and POLYRISK.
After a quick introduction to the topic of MNPs and human health, Vermeulen outlined the complexity of researching early-life health impacts of these particles. He presented some of the methods that have been developed by AURORA scientists, specifically to further the research being done within the CUSP cluster. While the progress has been slow but steady, Vermeulen was still already able to present some first preliminary results coming from applying some of these newly developed methods.
Both Roel Vermeulen and POLYRISK presenter Hubert Dirven make it clear that the topic of MNPs and plastics in general is highly complex and requires significant time and resources to do correctly. The CUSP projects have made great steps toward better understanding MNP exposures and their potential health impacts, but further research, and especially standardized methods across the field, are still necessary.
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Reference
Collaborative for Health & Environment (June 25, 2024) “Micro- and nanoplastics and public health: EU research findings.”
