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Study the impact and mode of action of micro & nanoplastics on human health

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December 1, 2020

Researchers Toxicology of Wageningen University & Research involved in major European Horizon 2020 project.

Humans are exposed to micro and nanoplastics due to their widespread presence in the environment. Yet there is only very limited information on the potential impact of this exposure on human health. In a consortium with 11 partners: PlasticHeal - coordinated by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona - the researchers of Toxicology at Wageningen University & Research will study the impact that micro and nanoplastics may have on the human intestinal tract.

For this they’ll use a diversity of human cell-based approaches, and investigate the potential on adverse outcomes for human health. Important is the use of computer models to interpretate the findings of the laboratory models for human health. For this so-called physiologically based kinetic models will be used.

The research in this project will contribute to the ambition to develop innovative approaches for the safety testing of chemicals and thereby reduce the use of animal experiments in toxicological studies.