As plastics break down, microplastics measuring less than five millimetres across are formed. Such particles have been detected in soil, water, food, and air. Microplastics have been shown to penetrate the human system (e.g. through breathing or ingestion) and to accumulate in various tissues and organs. Although how dangerous microplastics might be is still largely unknown, ongoing research is already indicating that exposure to them can have adverse health effects. Innovative methods and instruments that correlate material properties with the formation of microplastics (e.g. new chemical and physical characterisation methods) are being developed by experts at the Particle Expertise Centre. Their expertise relates to:
assessing the impact of polymer processing and recycling on the formation and release of microplastics
developing analytical technologies to study the release of microplastics during production, recycling, and use
developing a methodology to assess various mitigation strategies (possible ways to reduce the volume of microplastics).