“Even when we dispose of it in the right bin, much of the plastic produced in the world ends up in landfill and less than 10% is recycled. With the action of the sun, wind and waves it fragments, releasing microplastics into the environment“, explains Emma Calikanzaros, a researcher in environmental epidemiology and microplastics.

These tiny bits of plastic, which are also released from textiles and cosmetics, travel through rivers, seas and air to reach remote areas of the planet. Studying them is not easy, as they are particles ranging from 0.1 to 5 millimeters, very diverse in shape, size, and composition. “Globally standardised methods to measure their concentration are still lacking but need to be developed. It’s estimated that, by 2040, annual emissions of microplastics (between 10 and 40 million tonnes) could double”, says Emma.

Emma Calikanzaros, a researcher in environmental epidemiology and microplastics.

At the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, Emma investigates the health effects of microplastics. “They’ve been found in various human tissues and organs, such as blood, placenta, liver, and kidneys, which suggests they can travel throughout the body. We already know their harmful effects on cells in vitro and in animal models. Now, efforts are focused on understanding how chronic exposure to these pollutants affects us,” Emma adds.

If you want to know how plastics, their fragments, and even their additives impact our health, how we can respond to the challenge, and what scientific advances are leading the way, don’t miss the full article on the ”la Caixa” Foundation fellows blog featuring Emma Calikanzaros and Daniel Gutiérrez, a ”la Caixa” Foundation fellow and expert in environmental pollutants and human health.