Unbottling the Environmental & Health Impacts of Nanoplastics
YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A VIRTUAL EARTH MONTH EVENT
Unbottling the Environmental & Health Impacts of Nanoplastics
Thursday, April 18, 2024
6:00 – 7:00 PM EST
Moderator
Jeffrey Shaman
Interim Dean, Columbia Climate School; Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and of Climate
with
Beizhan Yan
Lamont Associate Research Professor, Geochemistry, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
and
Julie Herbstman
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University; Director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health
As concerns about plastic pollution reach a crescendo, recent research has uncovered a hidden threat in one of our most common commodities: bottled water. This groundbreaking study, conducted by researchers at Columbia Climate School’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), has revealed the presence of hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic particles in bottled water samples.
We invite you to explore what we have learned about the distribution and concentration of microplastics and nanoplastics in various environments, including our living spaces. We will discuss the major exposure pathways, penetration through biological barriers, and the potential health impacts, including developmental and neurological effects. We will also discuss the limitations of previous exposure assessment methods and the solutions our researchers have developed for quantifying nanoplastics.
