Microplastics – News and Features

The tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products are ending up commonly eaten fish, a new study has found.

To get some answers, Technology Networks posed these questions to Dr. Leigh Frame, an associate professor of clinical research and chief wellness officer at George Washington’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Impurities in pharmaceuticals are a major concern for drug manufacturers. This article will discuss the importance of monitoring and minimizing impurities in drug substances and products and key developments in the field.

UAB researchers found that polymer-based tea bags release billions of micro- and nanoplastics during infusion. These particles can penetrate intestinal cells, even reaching the cell nucleus. Advanced techniques confirmed the contamination.

Researchers have developed a floating drone equipped with hydrophilic tooth structures that leverage surface tension to skim microplastics.

Explore the technologies currently being used and developed to detect microplastics and nanoplastics.

Household plumbing is alive with microbes; Washington University in St. Louis environmental engineers are investigating the microbes that live in household plumbing to ensure clean water flows in homes.

In this article, we examine airborne microplastics in greater detail, explore detection methods, consider what we currently know about their health risks and highlight various mitigation strategies.

At RAFA 2024, Technology Networks spoke to Dr. Maurizio Piergiovanni and Dr. Nicolò Riboni to learn about the promise of condensed phase–membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP-MIMS) for monitoring hazardous migrants in food packaging.

Researchers at WSU directly observed microplastic fibers’ movement in soil, finding they tumble, roll, and often get trapped. The study highlights their slower movement compared to microbeads and the challenges of tracking them.