A new Rochester-based research center will study the life cycle of microplastics, including their origins as plastic waste, their distribution and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem, and human exposure and health effects. The research will also focus on how climate change will intensify the environmental and health threats posed by microplastics.
Lake Ontario.
The Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment is a collaboration between the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences ( Supported by $7.3 million in funding from NIEHS). Science Foundation under the Federal Ocean and Human Health Program.
“The center will help us better understand the interactions between plastic pollution, the Great Lakes environment, and human health in current and projected real-world situations,” said Dr. Katrina Korfmacher, professor of environmental medicine at the university. I intend to aim for that.” Director of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and co-director of the new center. “This research fosters new understanding of both the environmental and human health aspects of microplastics, engages new groups in strategies to reduce waste sources and reduce exposure, and helps other communities. will provide a model for a similar approach.”
“This funding will enable researchers in the environmental and health sciences to tackle a real global crisis,” said Dr. Christy Tyler, professor in RIT's Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences and co-director of the center. “This gives us an opportunity to bring together all of us.” “We will combine research into the amount and characteristics of plastic in the places where people are most likely to encounter it with research into how these particles affect our health. As a result, we will be able to understand more comprehensively the potential harms of plastic pollution and figure out how to develop targeted strategies to minimize it.”
A growing but little understood threat
Microplastics, particles less than 5 mm in size, are produced from plastic waste and break down into microscopic pieces over time, easily moving through the food chain and persisting in the environment. Common sources of plastic pollution include food wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic straws, cigarette butts, tire wear particles, and synthetic fibers. Plastic waste enters the environment through urban rainwater, agricultural runoff, and wastewater. Microplastics are ubiquitous but often difficult to detect and mitigate, with studies finding particles in human blood, heart, liver and lung tissue, placenta and breast milk. . However, little is known about its long-term effects on human health.
The Great Lakes hold more than 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater and are a source of drinking water, irrigation, fishing, and recreation for more than 30 million people. Efforts have been made to improve the lake's environmental health in recent decades, but increased plastic pollution threatens those gains. Additionally, climate change is causing changes in water levels, precipitation patterns, temperature, acidity, and ice sheets, all of which can exacerbate the risks posed by microplastics.
Impacts amplified by climate change
The new center will study how environmental changes affect the movement and properties of microplastics in Lake Ontario, how microplastics interact with other pollutants, and inflammatory and immune responses in model biological systems. You will undertake a research project aimed at understanding the impact on The goal is to develop and advance solutions that will inform future research, community action, and policy changes to reduce health impacts associated with microplastics.
RIT students sample rainwater debris in the city of Rochester.
One project builds on several years of collaborative work at RIT to understand the input, transport, and ecological risks of plastic pollution in the Lake Ontario Basin. The interdisciplinary team is led by Mr. Tyler and includes Dr. Matthew Hoffman of Mathematics and Statistics, Dr. Nathan Edingsaas, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science, Dr. Stephen Day, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor of Science and Dr. Andre Hudson, dean.
The Cheer team plans to investigate how climate-related factors, namely warmer weather and more intense storms, increase the shipment of used plastic to Lake Ontario. Additionally, changes in water temperature and acidity can lead to the formation of microplastics due to plastic breakdown and changes in the way microplastics interact with microorganisms and other organisms in the environment. Researchers create advanced models to better predict and understand these dynamics and the risks to the environment and health.
Another project, led by Dr. Lisa DeLuise, an associate professor in the Department of Dermatology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester, is using nanomembrane technology to investigate the presence of ultra-fine microplastics in water and air in the Lake Ontario ecosystem. We plan to determine the concentration. Smaller size increases toxicity, making it easier for particles to enter blood and tissues through ingestion or skin contact. Additionally, once these ultrafine particles reach the lakeshore, they can become airborne and inhaled. The study will evaluate this mode of transport and the toxicology in collaboration with Dr. Alison Elder of URMC's Department of Environmental Medicine.
Using samples collected by other researchers, another team led by Dr. Jacques Robert, professor and chair of the URMC Department of Microbiology and Immunology, used frogs as an animal model to determine how waterborne microplastics We plan to study how water enters the body, moves, and accumulates due to changes in water temperature expected due to global warming. This research will help scientists better understand the inflammatory and immune responses to microorganisms caused by microplastics, and the potential long-term health effects, especially if exposure to microplastics occurs early in development. Helpful.
Ultra-thin silicon nano membrane.
This research project will be supported by the University of Rochester's Materials and Metrology Facility Core, led by Dr. James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering, and Dr. Samantha Romanick, postdoctoral researcher. McGrath and Romanik will support access and distribution of shared resources, including ultrathin silicon nanomembranes used to collect and monitor water and airborne samples of microplastics.
Building Decades of Leadership in Environmental Health Research
The center will leverage the experience, expertise, and resources of the URMC School of Environmental Medicine and the Center for Environmental Health Sciences, which have been continuously supported by NIEHS Core Center grants for the past 48 years. The department also has a decades-long tradition of leading nationally recognized programs in toxicology research and training programs. In 2023, the University of Rochester will establish the Institute for Human Health and the Environment, a collaborative and innovative approach to health research, education, and health initiatives to better understand how the environment influences health across the lifespan. We promoted a proactive approach.
“The scope and complexity of the research the Center conducts has the potential to transform our understanding of the growing health threat posed by microplastics,” said Dr. Steve Dewhurst, vice president for research. is uniquely positioned to answer these important scientific questions.” at the University of Rochester. “The collective and complementary experience, expertise and resources at both the University of Rochester and RIT make science of this scale possible. We are excited to be able to study how microplastics move through the environment and their impact on biological systems. will uncover new insights and help create new models to reduce plastic pollution.”
RIT has a strong history of nationally funded scientific research to understand and address critical environmental issues. Tyler, Hoffman, and his group of other RIT scientists have been leading a multidisciplinary project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to investigate plastic waste entering the Great Lakes and how to prevent and remove it. I did. RIT continues to collaborate with the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Seneca Park Zoo, Monroe County, the City of Rochester, and other local agencies in a joint effort to combat environmental issues.
“This partnership between our universities shows how local researchers can work together to address problems of global importance,” said Dr. Line Raphael, RIT's vice president for research. . “How microplastics, combined with climate change, will impact our lives and overall human health needs to be investigated. This new center will explore these environmental impacts and their potential. This is key to understanding and, if possible, mitigating the complexity of these negative impacts.”
The Center will work with a wide range of diverse partners to both conduct community social science and promote environmental health literacy. These activities include engaging residents in debris flow monitoring efforts and developing, evaluating, and distributing awareness materials for audiences that include both urban and rural youth, educators, community groups, and policy makers. It will be.
