Project set to investigate impact of microplastics on human health

The work – a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership project between the Water Research Centre (WRc) and Queen Mary University of London - is described as a forerunner to the regulatory powers needed to tackle plastic’s presence in food and drinking water.

In a statement, project lead Dr Nabil Hajji, technical director of toxicology at WRc, said: “The fact that microplastics are present in seafood and our marine environment is well-documented, along with the toxicity concerns associated with this. However, the deeper understanding of the potential risks that this material presents to human health has been lacking.

“Understanding how the toxicity of microplastics impacts on our health is the first step to putting regulatory measures in place to protect people from any risks we identify.”

Dr Hajji said that the need to understand the impact of microplastics, as well as establish a new and accurate risk assessment to empower and influence regulatory powers, was essential and time-sensitive.